


When the Moon Fades

by imaginexwriter9



Series: The Adventures of Seth Hunter [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Artemis does not break her vow, Betrayal, Canon Compliant, Child of Artemis, Cussing, Fire Accident, Nightmares, Original Character Death(s), Revenge, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-27
Updated: 2016-05-27
Packaged: 2018-07-10 11:00:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 85,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6981637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imaginexwriter9/pseuds/imaginexwriter9
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>TLT Ever since the fire destroyed his only home and family, Seth Hunter has held a deep hatred against the goddess who caused it all: the one and only Artemis, who unknowingly, is also his mother. Not your typical child of Artemis story. PJATO belongs to Rick Riordan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Typical Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Rating T
> 
> Genre: Adventure, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Family, and some Humor
> 
> Characters: Seth Hunter (OC), Artemis, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover
> 
> Summary: (Takes Place in TLT) Ever since the so called "fire" destroyed his only home and family, Seth Hunter has held a deep hatred against the goddess who caused it all; the one and only Artemis-who unknowingly, is also his mother. Read and Review!
> 
> Reasons for why I wrote this story: I've read quite a few child of Artemis stories, but none of the OCs were really what I was looking for, particularly a 'son' of Artemis. Although Broken Bow (excellent series by the way on Fanfiction) is one of the few that was satisfactory, the main character did not match what I had in mind. I figure that being a male child of Artemis wouldn't be so well, 'light' and 'humorous'. So for this story, I decided to do one that wasn't the 'happy go lucky' tone evident in PJO, instead I will be taking a more darker and serious tone to it. There will still be some humor, but it's not the overall genre.
> 
> Although 'Gary-Sues' are notorious for having a dark past or going on Quests, so do most canon characters in PJO. Just look at Luke or Thalia, even Ethan had a bit of a tragic past. My character will be having a dark past, and he may be going on Quests, but he is in no way 'perfect'. Like every realistic character created, my OC also has flaws, and it's through these flaws that I hope to develop substantial character growth.
> 
> I hope you give this story a chance, at least until Chapter 6. If you still think this isn't what you are looking for, then by all means, go ahead and read another fanfic. I understand that every person has different tastes and interests. I write only to improve my writing and hopefully entertain you guys.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson series, Rick Riordan does.

There were times when I wished everything was just a nightmare.

It would make things less painful, an assurance even, that no matter how bad things were or appeared to be, they only needed to suddenly wake up, and discover that everything was just the way it was. They would probably shrug off the horrid images, forget about it completely, and continue their daily morning routine. Just like _a normal kid_.

How I wished that were true: the nightmares…and the normalcy.

It was only a few months ago that I realized I wasn't exactly what most people would define as _normal_. Unless being able to see monsters that other people didn't notice was part of being normal, then by all means, I would be one of those "abnormal" kids.

My name is Seth Hunter.

I'm 13 years old and was an ongoing resident at St. Clair's Orphanage, located in an isolated forest area near Brooklyn, New York. According to what they told me, I showed up on their doorstep when I was around 3 months old, lying in a casket with only a blanket and a slip of paper that indicated my name and age.

Just like your practical Harry Potter story. Only without the obnoxious relatives, the magic, owl deliveries and whatnots.

As far as I could tell, no one was going to adopt me. It was already rare enough to even have potential adopters come to this unknown part of New York, and it was even rarer to find anyone interested in an ADHD and dyslexic kid. It was always the little kids, the ones with pretty faces or with a lot of talent, not some troubled kid who spends all his time with nothing better to do than be on the rooftop moon gazing.

Yeah, you heard me, _moon gazing._

You're probably thinking: _who spends all their time looking at the moon?_ Well, that person would be me. It sounded silly and boring and all, but it's really what I enjoyed doing. There's just this feeling of calmness and ease that seemed to radiate inside me whenever I looked at that big dangling orb in the sky. It helps me sort out my thoughts, and think more clearly than I would have during the day. Before you get any thoughts like a certain somebody-no, I am not, I repeat, NOT a werewolf.

Now that we got that boring stuff out of the way, let me give you a glimpse of my once "normal" life.

Ms. Lewinsky was the director of St. Clair's. She was this plump, middle aged woman with bright blue eyes and wrinkles on her face from smiling too much. One would describe her as the stereotypical grandmother on Christmas morning, holding a plate of cookies. Strands of gray hair pulled back in a bun made her once bright colored hair appear dull, but despite her aging looks, she was in no way considered old, in fact she was probably the most energetic person I've ever met.

There were times when she would wake up really early to cook a 40 person breakfast, read to the little kids, make lunch, do chores like laundry, cleaning, etc, and then make a large scale dinner. There were also times when she was responsible for homeschooling all of us. Now if I knew anything about teaching, the main problem wasn't about keeping 40 or so kids of different ages to keep up with their grade levels, but rather it was having the kids _pay attention_. Just imagine a whole room of rowdy kids, most of them hyperactive at times, and you'll know what I mean. Of course, with my ADHD problem, I wasn't exactly helpful in keeping the peace.

But despite all she had to deal with, she did, in fact, _care_ about us. She wasn't like one of those people who only did it for the pay. She did it because she wanted to, and treated each of us as if we were all one big happy family. She was the closest thing to a motherly figure that I have ever had, and as I reflect back to those wonderfully _blessed_ times, she still was and always will be.

It was a normal day in mid-December, a mix of pure snow and wet slush were being formed into big mounds as snow machines plowed their way into the ice. Tree branches surrounding the orphanage were caked with big fluffs of white like frosting on a birthday cake. It was absolute silence, except the chattering that was getting louder by the minute as more people woke up. The air around me was crisp and cool as I sat on the partially snow layered rooftop, taking in the scene around me.

December 21st, the 13th anniversary of my arrival to St. Clair's.

I couldn't believe how long I had been here. One minute I was helping Ms. Lewinsky with arts and crafts when I was 6, then I was 10, playing hide and go seek in the woods with Mera and Shawn, and now I was back here, officially 13 years of age, maybe older.

I was declared a teenager, which also meant I was stuck here permanently.

It's not like I hated the place or anything, it was really great. During my years here, I met a lot of new people. Some of them became my friends, while others were just okay to be around with.

But one thing I really did despise was what I called the _cycle_.

The _cycle_ revolved only around me. Being here for so long, it tends to drive me insane. Since I was practically _born_ in this place, I had seen new kids come in and others going out and never coming back. At first, I befriended a lot of these newcomers in order to help them feel more welcomed. Too bad I never considered the consequences, because as I got closer to each of them, we eventually become acquaintances, and even the best of friends.

The thing was, these friendships never last.

That's what really sucked about living in an orphanage, you never knew when someone would get adopted. They would end up all happy or tearful, promising their friends that they'd come visit again when they had the chance, but never actually keep that promise.

I kept hoping that it would be my turn someday. That someday, I would also get adopted and move on in life. But the moment they heard about my disorder and reading problems, they would get all nervous and say something like, " _I'll think about it_." which pretty much meant no in my book. What's worse, was that every time this happened, I would notice Ms. Lewinsky glance at me with those sorrow-filled eyes, making me feel even worse than I already was.

As I sat on the rooftop contemplating the meaning of my pathetic existence, Lucy, a girl of seven years with blond pigtails and brown eyes, poked her head out from the side window, which was directly below me. She eventually looked up, and noticing me there, she smiled.

"Hey Seth," Lucy said, her breath changing to misty smoke as she spoke. "Breakfast is ready!"

I nodded, giving her a brief smile, as I climbed into the window after her.

Breakfast was normal as always. Everyone gathered around the table, a few of them pushing and shoving to get the best parts of the meal. When all the food was taken, and everyone arranged themselves into their little groups, I settled down at the far corner of the room, isolated from everyone else. I had learned first- hand not to get _too_ close to anyone around here.

After a couple minutes of eating, I was just about to leave the kitchen when Ms. Lewinsky called me over, looking slightly troubled.

"Yes, Ms. Lewinsky?" I said politely, looking questionable.

"Seth, I was wondering if you could help me pick up the cake I ordered. With the winter holidays coming up, I'm really busy at the moment, and with new adopters arriving any minute…" she trailed off, unsure of what else to say.

"It's no problem at all. Where do you want me to pick it up at?"

"It's a bakery store located in upstate New York." She took out a pen from her apron pocket, and started scribbling down the address. When she was done, she handed it to me, along with some cash.

"What's the money for? I thought you already pre-ordered."

"Oh, it's not for the cake," she dismissed. "Do you honestly expect me to allow you to walk for that many miles in the cold? It's for the bus fare."

"But I can't spend this! With the orphanage poor enough as it is-!"

" _Seth Hunter,_ " Ms. Lewinsky said sternly, " _just take it_. I rather you spend a few dollars than see you in bed with a fever! Now go, a cake can't deliver itself to our doors." She said all this in a hurry while pushing me towards the entrance, money and address in hand, and then she added, "be safe." I nodded absentmindedly, already heading towards the road that would eventually lead me into the city.

If only I knew then how much those two simple words mattered.

-o-


	2. Mistaken Identity

The cool city air brushed against my face as I walked in the streets of upstate New York. It was snowing again. Small flakes of white seemed to endlessly fall from the heavens as I looked up towards the dark sky. Commotion continued throughout the city as adults and children alike gathered together in front of gift shops and candy stores. There was even a choir singing " _We Wish You a Merry Christmas"_ and their voices naturally created a sense of holiday cheer.

_It's been so long,_ I thought, as I absorbed the scenery around me. _When was the last time I came here on a day like this?_

Following the instructions on the slip of paper, I ended up taking the bus (since Ms. Lewinsky insisted), pushed my way pass crowds of people, and eventually came across a bakery at the end of the street known as _The Three Sisters,_ but to me it looked like: _Hte reTeh IsetSrs_

Dyslexia was such a pain, and it only got worse with the italicized lettering.

The chimes went off as the automated doors opened up. A wave of heat swept across my ice cold face as I entered. Soft hissing noises that I supposed were from the oven could be heard throughout the open space. A homemade aroma wafted through the air from the freshly baked bread rolls and well-decorated pastries that lined the aisles, making my mouth water. Only a few people were present: a young couple with their daughter, and a middle aged man. An elderly woman wearing a red and yellow head covering and glasses was at the counter working out the register. I walked up to her.

"Um, hello ma'am. I'm here to pick up an order..." My voice faltered as the woman looked at me, strangely pleased, her mouth widening into a grin as her reddish brown eyes bore into my own.

"How can I help you dear?" she said in a sugar-coated voice.

"I'm here to pick up an order," I repeated, a little shaky. Why was I getting so nervous for, I wondered. Was it because I didn't socialize much? Probably. I was out of practice. "It was placed under the name Maria Lewinsky."

She looked briefly at the roll of paper next to the register, and she turned to me and said, "I'm sorry, child, but I'm afraid we don't have anyone known as 'Maria Lewinsky.' Perhaps you got the wrong store?" For someone who discovered a major mistake, especially at a potential customer's behalf, she looked too _happy_ for my taste.

"The wrong store?" I said in disbelief, pulling out the slip of paper with the directions from my coat pocket. "But the directions I have here-!"

"Oh, I see," the lady interrupted while giving off that eerie smile. "Do you perhaps mean _The Three Sparrows_? That's just across the intersection, dear."

I silently cursed at my dyslexia. I felt like such a fool.

"T-thanks for your time. I guess I should just go…" I was about to turn towards the exit, until she suddenly grabbed my arm. Startled, I tried to yank it away but to no prevail. For an old lady, she sure had an iron grip.

"Do you think you could hide from us forever..." her head covering shadowed half her face as her beady eyes stared at me. " _Seth Hunter?_ " Before I could say anything, she suddenly called out, her voice high and shrill. "Euryale! I believe I found one!"

The back doors that led to the kitchen opened. Another old lady who looked exactly like the one tightening her hand on my arm appeared, holding a crate of freshly baked cookies. She locked her eyes on me, and gave off the same evil grin. The people who were in the store were backing away quickly, the little girl started screaming. The middle aged man was tapping on his phone rapidly, calling 911, and I could overhear him saying something incoherent like 'thief' and 'armed'.

I had a bad feeling that when he said 'thief' as in a _singular_ form, he meant me. Which was ridiculous! What were these people seeing? I have never stolen anything in my life, much less use an illegal weapon to do it. I had no weapons on me, and the crazy old lady was still holding on to my now bruised up arm.

Well there went my reliance on authority. I knew I was on my own. What I did next, shocked everyone in the store, including myself.

I forcefully tugged my bruised arm towards my chest, dragging the old lady across the counter along with me, and when she got close enough, I aimed a well-rounded kick to her chest, causing her to let go of me with a yelp. Once I was freed, I ran towards the door. There was a pile of plastic trays beside it and almost by instinct, I instinctively started throwing the trays one at a time like Frisbees, aiming mostly at their heads. One of the trays actually did hit one of the old hags, causing one of their head coverings to fall off, but instead of white frizzled hair or even just a bald scalp, what I saw chilled me to my very core:

There were live hissing snakes.

"M-Medusa?" I said, my panic starting to build up. I probably should be running that very instant, and forget what I had saw, but I was so dumbfounded by what I discovered that I stayed glued to my spot.

_This isn't happening…Medusa? That's just a myth! Stories that Ms. Lewinsky would sometimes read to us at bedtime, and don't they say Medusa is able to turn people to stone with just one look?_ Despite these doubts, here they were: their faces filled with diabolic amusement, and by the loosest definition, very real.

"It's _Stheno_ , hon, but I'll forgive you, it is after all, an _easy_ mistake." Stheno crackled, her snakes hissing at my direction. Her sister, Euryale, who also decided to reveal her own reptilian hair, was eyeing my every move as I remained on the defensive.

"Where's your other sister then?" I said, trying to minimize the hesitance in my voice. If Medusa was here, then I was dead meat.

This time, Euryale answered, "our sister isn't here anymore-decided to open up an emporium instead-more _business_ " She sneered at that last part, like she is hurt by her sister's actions.

"How…nice." I said, as I slightly glanced around the room for the automated doors, which were located at my far right.

"Oh yes, a truly nice idea! Even offered us a job there too!" Stheno replied, closing in, her scaly green snake tail/human legs apparent, the two images seemed to flicker back and forth.

"But enough about her," Euryale replied, her sharp teeth visible. "It's about time you DIE!" The two lunged at me at once, their claws stretched out, and they would have tore me to shreds had I not dodged out of the way at the last second, causing the two of them to collide against the wall while I ran towards the automated doors.

"Don't let him get away!" Euryale screeched, as she pulled Stheno, who had landed on top of her, off. The cool air greeted me as I ran past the exit, and into the clearing. Crowds of people suddenly parted ways, taxis even stopped midway when I ran across the intersection. I glanced back, and sure enough, the two monsters are hot on my trail, using their tails to push moving vehicles to the side.

_I have to find something to use against them_ , I thought rapidly _, I can't keep running like this forever. I'll get tired and they'll eventually catch up to me. If only I had a weapon…_ I kept running, not caring whether the lights were red or green, which probably wasn't smart, but I was in a desperate situation. I noticed a cart full of Christmas decorations up ahead.

As I quickly approached the cart, I noticed the materials that were in it: an assortment of Christmas lights, ornaments, three foot long candy canes, and life sized deer figurines. As soon as I saw the materials, an idea started to formulate in my mind-the only letdown? That I wouldn't be able to physically accomplish it.

I grabbed one of the candy canes.

Over the past few years when I started to help decorate the orphanage at Christmas, Ms. Lewinsky always warned us that some of the decorations were fatal-mistletoe could be toxic, Christmas lights could get tangled easily and the wire could end up sticking out, causing minor cuts. Another safety precaution involved the candy canes. Like the one I was holding now, the candy canes we used every year were about 3 to 4 feet long. She warned us that the endpoints were very sharp. Even a slight scrape against the edge could create a deep bleeding cut. Like a piece of paper almost, but the outcome would be ten times worse.

I steadied the candy cane in my right hand, the tip gleaming a bright _bronze_ as I held it upright. I forced myself to stop running and catch my breath. The two snake ladies were about 30 feet away but only got faster when they realized I had stopped.

25 feet…

I held the candy cane up, holding it at the midsection, the endpoint towards the two monstrosities like a spear.

20 feet…

I tried to calm myself, my heartbeat still beating at a rapid pace, as I focused on my targets.

_Just a little bit closer_ , I thought to myself, _I can't afford to miss._

15 feet…

I threw the candy cane.

Unfortunately, Euryale noticed the incoming candy cane too soon, and swerved quickly to the side. Stheno wasn't so lucky. She noticed it a second too late, and the tip of the candy cane was found embedded through her forehead. A look of shock and utter disbelief apparent as she collapsed on her side, her body dissolving into these tiny gold particles before hitting the ground. Euryale looked at me with such hatred that I was glad she did not inherit Medusa's ability.

Well, on the positive side that was one monster down, and another to go.

On the negative side however, I was weaponless, and I got one really pissed off snake lady. So what did I do next? Simple: I ran like crazy.

Euryale was screaming death threats and profanities in some weird language as I ran down the street, pushing past bystanders and rolling over the tops of vehicles that had stopped abruptly in the midst of the turmoil. Police cars have started to show up, but they only added to the confusion and were an annoying source of blockage because instead of stopping the monster, they seemed intent on stopping me.

I was in such a panic, that I wasn't paying attention to where I was running. I suddenly ran headfirst against some crippled guy that was unfortunate enough to be in my way. I started to sputter out apologies for knocking him over, until I noticed what appeared to be small miniature _horns_ on his head.

_Horns?_

"W-what are you?" I said, taking a step away from him out of caution. "Are those horns?" I was starting to think I was being delusional, until the stranger answered me with an equally crazy response.

"You can see them?" he questioned. I only gave him a _No duh, isn't that kind of obvious_ look.

I breathed out, "look, I'm kind of in a hurry." Then, I added, "you don't happen to be a monster too-Are you?" Deep down, I knew that it was too late to retract those ignorant, stupid words. I mean, what made me think this guy was any different than the others I'd seen so far? Just because he has horns? He could be one of those kids that like dressing up when it's not Halloween! It's like saying; _I'm insane please send me to the nearest asylum for mentally disturbed kids._

Luckily, it turned out he was different. "Me? A monster? Pff, get your head on straight! Do I look like a monster?" I was about to comment on the horns, but then he cut me off, "no, don't answer that, it's obvious that you're a demigod."

"A _what_?"

"A demigod!" He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You know, half human, half-!"

"I know what a _demigod_ is!" I said, frustrated. "I was wondering why you called me that!"

The stranger was unable to answer immediately when I heard Euryale closely behind. Apparently, she was able to get past all the traffic and the police blockages. A yellow 'Do Not Cross' strip was wrapped against her upper body. Her red eyes narrowed when she caught me in her sights.

"I gotta go!" I said in a rush. Surprisingly, the guy decided to follow me while leaving behind his handicap equipment. Talk about strange.

"You've got a _Gorgon_ after you?!" he sounded stunned, as he tried to keep up behind me.

"Y-you can _see_ her?" I said incredulously. After all this time, I finally found someone that was seeing what I was seeing.

He didn't say anything, and as he caught up with me-(how did a handicap catch up to me?) he said in a hurried tone. "Follow me! I know a place where you'll be safe, at least for the time being!" I was about to question him about where this place was, but decided against it. I didn't want my only assurance of safety to be crushed.

I followed the stranger (for I didn't have much of a choice), making lefts and rights, while the Gorgon was still in pursuit. I was running out of breath fast, and if this place didn't turn up any sooner, I would die of exhaustion. Thankfully, I realized where we were headed. After making out the words a few times, it read: _Yancy Academy_. I was having doubts about how a private school was a safe haven, until the guy spoke.

"I want you to go on ahead while I distract the Gorgon. The doors will be unlocked, and go look for someone known as _Chiron_. He'll tell you what to do."

I nodded, too tired to say anything. As the distance between us and the academy grew shorter and shorter, I ran even harder, out running the fake handicap and didn't bother to slow down until I reached the doors. Sure enough, it was unlocked. After shutting the doors behind me, and finally catching my breath, I watched as my helpful stranger tried to direct the snake lady's attention to himself, but instead of going as planned, Euryale turned towards me.

_Oh crap._

I nearly tripped over myself in my attempt to quickly ran away from the doors as Euryale busted them open like it was made out of cheap cardboard. I was calling out the name "Chiron!" every time I reached a different hall, but still there was no one in sight.

It seemed as though my luck had finally run out when I reached a dead end. I was about to go the other direction, when Euryale appeared and blocked my only exit. Her red eyes seemed to glow in triumph in the dimly lighted hallway as she cornered me to the wall.

"You will pay heavily for killing my sister!"

"Then kill yourself and go join her!" I spat. "Makes for a quicker reunion!" Since I was going to die anyway, I didn't want my last moments appearing weak. I was exhausted. My arms and legs wouldn't even be able to move fast enough to dodge even the simplest of her attacks. Euryale raised her claws, getting ready to pierce me with those deadly cat claws when I suddenly heard cloven hooves fast approaching.

_A horse?_ Euryale must have noticed it as well, but she didn't get a chance to look behind her when an arrow suddenly pierced her chest, causing her to dissolve away. As I looked up to see who had just saved my life, I was met with what appeared to be a man and horse hybrid, a centaur.

_Okay then, I was saved by a centaur,_ I thought a little in mock seriousness. Of all things that could have saved me, I was saved by a _centaur._

"Are you alright lad?" the centaur called out to me as he slowly approached, his cloven hooves echoing in the empty hallway.

I nodded slowly, still in shock at my near death experience.

"That's good," he said a little cheerfully. He was now looking down at where I was sitting. "I am Chiron, and I'm sure you have a lot of questions."

-o-


	3. New Friends

Chiron guided me around the halls of Yancy Academy until we reached one of the rooms marked as _Mr. Brunner: Latin Studies_. The two of us entered, with Chiron bending forward to get through, and I noticed all the different types of armory and Ancient Greek and Latin symbols that were hung around the walls of the classroom. Bronze plates gleamed in the brightened room, and silver vases and pots carved with black images were also aligned on the shelves.

As I admired the display, Chiron went over to the front desk and placed his bow and quiver of arrows on the table. A resounding shuffle echoed throughout the empty room. I decided to settle on top of one of the vacant desks, pondering over the drastic events that had occurred the previous hour. While I sorted through my thoughts, I didn't even notice the fake handicap enter the classroom, until Chiron cleared his throat and directed my attention towards him.

"How about we first exchange some pleasantries? As you already know, I am Chiron, and this," he directed his gaze to the other person in the room, "this is Grover Underwood."

Grover, upon being introduced, made his way towards me, and held out his hand for a shake. I took it.

"It's nice meeting you. Uh…?" He finally realized that he didn't know my name.

"Seth Hunter," I answered, and with that we ended our handshake. It was only then that I noticed his legs, his _hairy brown legs,_ and where the feet should be, were a pair of black cloven hooves.

"Are you a… _Satyr_?" I asked with a little uncertainty, directing my eyes to his feet and then to his face.

"Not bad, Seth. You got it on the first try!" he said with approval, a gleeful smile on his face. I was sheepish. "We satyrs are given the role of _Keepers,_ which means we are _a_ lways on the lookout for new demigods. We attend schools all over America, and eventually bring them to camp!"

"Camp? What camp?"

Grover was about to speak out when Chiron silenced him with a stern look.

"I apologize if we can't answer all of your questions right now," Chiron said in a strained voice, his eyes looking wary. "Knowing too much tends to get demigods such as yourself into many perilous situations. The more you know, the stronger your scent."

Gee, I never knew I smelled.

"O-Kay." I wondered if the guy who invented the quote ' _Ignorance is bliss'_ ever gotten into a situation like this one. Now that I thought about it, it did seem likely.

"What did Grover mean when he said _it's obvious that I'm a demigod_? Because by all means, I can't possibly be one. I don't even know who my parents-!"

"You can see monsters can't you?" Grover interrupted.

"Well, yeah." I said, a bit impatient. "That snake lady is _definitely_ a monster."

"Did you also notice that other people tend to, you know, see things _differently_?"

"I was actually wondering about that. How is it that no one is able to see Eury-!"

"Don't say her name!" Grover suddenly yelled while hushing me up in the process. " _Names have power_." I gave him a weird look. Was Grover going to keep on interrupting me?

"Anyway," I started, looking at Grover intently to make sure he didn't interrupt me _again._ "The _Gorgon._ Is there a reason why I was the only one (and Grover) that noticed what was really going on?"

"What you are implying," Chiron slowly whispered, as if he was afraid someone could hear him, "are the effects of the _Mist_."

"The _Mist?"_ I said a little incredulously.

"Do not underestimate the powers of the Mist," Chiron said with a shadowed glance. "The Mist is a supernatural force that makes mortals see what they want to see, what they can comprehend. So anything that involves monsters and the like, things that seem too _unbelievable_ are morphed into something differently so it will suit the mortal's way of what they call _reality."_ he paused and looked at me expectantly, as if waiting for some sort of response.

"So you're saying, that the Mist is the one that controls what we see?"

"That is correct." Chiron answered.

"When you said mortals, does it involve demigods?"

"Demigods tend to be less restrained under the Mist's influence, and there are quite a few that can even use the Mist to their own advantage. However, the Mist can still be prominent during a time when a demigod has yet to realize what they really are, but as they know more about their identity, the Mist's influence tends to slowly fade away and linger around at the same time."

"So is this why you can't tell me everything?" I asked. Chiron nodded. "I still don't get it. How does seeing through the Mist have anything to do with being a demigod? Because like you said, even demigods have trouble seeing things as they are."

"Do you by any chance have dyslexia?" This time it was Grover that spoke up as he got off the desktop, and moved closer to where Chiron and I were standing. "Maybe even ADHD?"

Instantly, I was suspicious. "Wait a sec, how did you-?!"

" _Those_ are common symptoms of a demigod. You have trouble reading English because your mind can only interpret ancient Greek, and the ADHD? That's your battle reflexes. They help keep demigods alive and be more attentive to their surroundings. Do you really think a normal person could have dealt with a Gorgon the way you did?"

I couldn't respond to that. Everything they were saying actually made sense. There was no way a regular person could have killed a monster the way I did with a candy cane. I still had trouble believing that I actually survived the ordeal. I even recalled hearing the weird language that Euryale was throwing at me earlier, but there was something that was still bothering me.

"If demigods are real, then are _the gods_ real too?"

There was a moment of silence before Chiron finally answered.

"Yes, they are, Seth. They are very real indeed." Chiron said solemnly. "In fact, they are currently holding the Winter Solstice meeting as we speak, which is held right above the Empire State Building."

I had to blink twice to comprehend what he was saying. " _Excuse me_?"

Chiron smiled knowingly. "You heard me correctly, Mr. Hunter. The reason why that is so is because America is currently the source of western civilization. Have you heard of it?"

"Western Civilization," I said slowly, recalling what Ms. Lewinsky had taught me. "Isn't that a concept to describe where human culture is the most abundant?"

"You are almost correct, Mr. Hunter," Chiron replied, "except it is not a concept. It is a _force_ , a force that the gods of Olympus are the source of. Wherever western civilization is, there the gods will be also. It first appeared in Greece, and moved on towards Rome, and now, after a couple centuries, it has resided in America."

"Then, the gods _really_ do exist? All those stories…they're all real?" My voice hardly above a whisper. After seeing gorgons, a centaur, and even a satyr, I thought I was prepared to believe anything, but this idea of having gods, _all powerful gods_ , as in immortal beings that could easily crush you if they so wished, just the idea of it scared me.

Chiron simply nodded, as if he could somehow sense the fear that crept up on me. As I stood there silently contemplating what I was forced to discover, a long silence ensued, only interrupted by the occasional bleating of Grover the satyr.

"That is enough information for one day," Chiron said, breaking the silence. "We don't want to overwhelm you too much."

 _A bit too late for that_ , I thought sourly.

"How about you tell us more about yourself? Perhaps you can start by explaining how you came to encounter the gorgon."

So I did. I started telling them about the time when Ms. Lewinsky sent me to pick up a package, how I went to the wrong store, and encounter Stheno and Euryale. Grover's eyes widened at that. I guessed I forgot to mention that I had killed one off prior to meeting him. I continued to elaborate on the incident with Stheno and the candy cane, running into Grover, finding our way to the Academy, and eventually meeting Chiron.

"That's about it." I said. Chiron seemed to be in deep thought, while Grover was muttering things about having met two gorgons instead of one.

"This Ms. Lewinsky, what is your relation? Is she your teacher?" Chiron asked.

"Well, you can count her as a teacher since she taught me all I know, but she's more like my guardian." I hadn't mentioned that I lived in an orphanage since I thought that fact was irrelevant.

"How old are you?"

"I'm 13." When I said that, Grover had a surprised expression on his face.

" _You're 13 already_?" he exclaimed, staring at me in what could only be called disbelief. It seemed he was expecting me to be younger. Did I look that immature? I knew I wasn't tall, but I wasn't short for my age either.

"Yeah, I'm 13. What's so hard to believe?" I said, a little defensive.

Grover caught my defensive tone when he started apologizing. "Hey man, I didn't mean it like that. Honest. I'm just surprised. Satyrs tend to recruit potential demigods at a younger age, around 10 to 12. A demigod at your age... you can't begin to imagine the amount of danger you'll attract."

"With that said," Chiron picked off, "which school do you go to? Or are you perhaps home-schooled?"

"I'm home-schooled." I said without any hesitance.

"Do you live with your father or your mother?"

I paused at that question, and started to get fidgety. I always acted this way whenever someone asked me about my parents. It was like reminding me that I wasn't wanted: that I was just a useless kid that nobody bothered about. Of course, most of the time the people who asked didn't know. So I couldn't exactly lash out at them angrily without feeling guilty about it afterwards.

I soon realized that they weren't going to let the question drop. Even when it was obvious that I was uncomfortable. They just stared at me without saying anything, their faces expectant. I let out a sigh.

"I don't live with a father or mother," I said. "I'm an orphan."

Silence.

"I suspected as such. Although your situation is uncommon, it was the only reason that I could come up with that could have kept you ignorant all this time." Chiron answered, and then he said in a gentle manner, "I am sincerely sorry if my earlier question has offended you or caused you to have such a reaction, but I had to confirm my thoughts."

"It's alright," I lied. "You shouldn't apologize. You didn't know, so it's fine."

"So what should we do about him, Chiron?" Grover said with uncertainty. "Should we have him enrolled here? It would be easier to keep watch on him and Percy."

"Percy?" I asked. "Is he…another demigod?"

"We have been keeping a watch on him," Chiron said. "It is still not yet determined whether he is one or not. In case he is one however, it is Grover's duty to bring him safely to camp."

"Oh."

"As for your question, Grover," Chiron responded, "enrolling him here would be unnecessary, and not to mention _dangerous_. He already knows too much, whereas Percy still has no clue what he is. Placing him here where there are monsters lurking around in disguise could end up jeopardizing his life, and possibly even Percy's."

Great, now I was even considered a threat.

"Then what should we do about him, Chiron? We can't just leave him be." Grover said. Chiron seemed to think for a moment while studying me with his stern gaze.

"We can't bring him to camp this instant when some of our campers are attending the Winter Solstice. Our defense will be at its bare minimum. I suppose we can just keep tabs on him for now. Where is your residence at, Mr. Hunter?"

"It's at St. Clair's Orphanage. The one near downtown Brooklyn, close to the forest area."

"Alright, now in case you encounter any trouble, I want you to have this." He handed me what looked like a cookie-sized gold coin.

"What's this?" I questioned, while holding up the gold coin to my face, examining it.

"This is a golden _drachma,_ the currency of the gods. Use it only when you must. If you are having trouble, send us an Iris Message."

"An _Iris Message_? As in IMing?"

"Something like it, yes. Iris is the rainbow goddess and is responsible for our _instant messaging_. Simply create a rainbow, toss the coin into it, and reply, 'Oh goddess, accept my offering.' When you have done so, asked who you want to speak to and their location. You'll always find us at Yancy Academy if you need me or Grover's assistance."

"Um, thanks." I said while tucking the coin into my coat pocket. Hopefully, I wouldn't need it. As I glanced up, I suddenly realized the time.

"Look, I gotta go. Ms. Lewinsky and the others must be worried about where I am right now."

"I guess this is so long for now." Chiron said. "Do you need help in getting back?"

"I don't think so, I know my way around so you don't need to worry." I said as I made my way towards the door. Grover decided to join me a moment later.

"I'll at least show you out of the school. It could get pretty confusing." Grover offered while giving me a sheepish smile.

I nodded, and said my thanks to Chiron as Grover and I exited the classroom.

As he guided me around the hallways, I suddenly realized something.

"Hey Grover, wouldn't the kids here realize you and Chiron aren't exactly…human?"

"Oh, that," Grover said, rolling his eyes. When we came to a halt, he answered, "we have our disguises too. Me with the handicap equipment, and Chiron and his wheelchair."

"Wheelchair? But how could he possibly-!"

"We have our ways."

"Did I mention that you have a tendency of interrupting me?" I said with a grin.

"Oh um…sorry?"

That, my friends, was how I made my first friend in years.

After leading me outside the school, Grover and I still kept walking together until he finally found the handicap equipment that he had left behind (I wondered how it was still there). We said our goodbyes although deep down, I think we both knew we would see each other again. When I reached the intersection, avoiding police officers as they monitored and cleaned up the wreckage, I decided to fulfill the purpose of why I was here in the first place. It would seem very strange if I returned without the package while being covered up in cuts and faded bruises. I didn't want to worry Ms. Lewinsky when she already had so much on her plate.

Eventually, I found the right place. When I saw what the package contained however, I had to restrain myself from hurtling it to a wall.

It was a birthday cake. For me.

 _Of all the things Ms. Lewinsky sends me to get_ , I thought, slightly frustrated. Most people would be happy of getting a cake, and I would be too. But if you had to go through all of that danger just to get a birthday cake meant for yourself, that was going way too far.

By the time I reached the orphanage, I noticed that all the Christmas lights and decorations had already been placed. I heard loud voices as I neared the door, and when I finally opened it, all eyes were on me, or rather at the bundle I had in my hands.

"Hey Seth! What do you have there?" one of the boys called out to me.

"Is it a present?" exclaimed another girl. All the 6 and 7 year old kids started to crowd around me as I pushed my way pass the entrance.

"Can you guys at least let me through?" I said teasingly as they parted a little for me. It's great to back in one piece. I'll never take my safety for granted ever again. "How could you guys be so mean? Showing more interest in this bundle here than your awesome big bro?"

"Oh, we didn't mean it like that, Seth," Lucy said a little apologetic, her blonde pigtails bobbling up and down as she walked towards the kitchen table.

"Relax Lucy, I was only joking." She looked relieved for a moment, and smiled at me. "By the way Lucy, where is Ms. Lewinsky right now? Shouldn't she be around here?"

"Oh that. Ms. Lewinsky is busy giving a tour with some new girl that came in today," she replied. "She's with the girl upstairs if you want to meet her."

 _Another one huh?_ I thought. I said my thanks to Lucy, and placed the cake on top of the refrigerator, much to the children's dismay. I didn't want my cake to be ruined when I almost lost my life to get it. I went upstairs, and when I was lingering beside the room Ms. Lewinsky was in, I overheard a bit of their conversation:

"So do you have any other questions for me?" Ms. Lewinsky had asked.

"No, it's fine. Thank you for your assistance." I assumed the voice belonged to the new girl. Her voice was unfamiliar to me, yet it strangely feels as though we had met before. Before either of them can say another word, I knocked lightly on the door.

"Hey Ms. Lewinsky, it's Seth. I was wondering if you need me for anything right now?" I said while outside.

"Seth, you can come in you know," Ms Lewinsky said pleasantly. With her permission, I opened the door. The first thing I noticed was that Ms. Lewinsky and the new girl were sitting at the edge of a bed.

"Seth, I want you to meet Giselle," Ms. Lewinsky said, beginning the standard introductions. "She's nearly the same age as you."

The girl had her head lowered, her long auburn hair casting a shadow over most of her face. When she looked up at me, I had to slightly catch my breath:

I was met with a pair of startling silver eyes.

-o-


	4. Identical Twin

It was like looking at a mirror.

Her dark auburn hair was long and smooth, held back only by a thin black hair band that reflected the light casted from the window, providing her an inhuman kind of glow against her light complexion. Her silver eyes were stern and somewhat perplexed as she glanced my way, as if she couldn't believe what she saw in me either-

It was as though we were twins.

_Same_ auburn color hair, the _same_ pair of silver eyes, and the _same_ facial structure...the list could go on and on. I swore in my mind right then and there, that if I wasn't a guy, or if she wasn't a girl, then we would have looked _identical_.

Talk about creepy.

Again, I realized too late that I probably looked like an idiot. With my mouth slightly agape and Ms. Lewinsky and the new girl-what was her name? Oh yeah, _Giselle-_ expectantly waiting for a response, I pretty much screwed up on my usual first impressions. With the way things were going, Giselle would probably be thinking that this was my first time seeing a girl, which was definitely _not_ cool.

"Um," I started warily, but caught myself quickly. "I'm Seth Hunter. It's...nice meeting you." I said a little awkwardly while I held out my hand as a greeting, but Giselle paid no heed to it. Instead, she just cocked her head slightly to the side, studying my expression with a blank look. So I let my hand drop, feeling very uncomfortable with her less than conspicuous gaze on me.

After a few moments of silence, Ms. Lewinsky decided to ease the tension.

"How about you show her the rest of the house?" she said to me with a smile, "and even the outdoors?"

I didn't smile back. Judging from her mute response and rudeness earlier, it was pretty clear to me that Giselle didn't want anything to do with me. So why should I be the tour guide? She could handle it herself, or maybe one of the younger kids could help her instead. I didn't really care, because for some odd reason, my instincts were telling me that this girl wasn't really what she seemed. _No one_ could look that ridiculously similar by chance. Somehow sensing what was going on in my head, Ms. Lewinsky gave me the _look_.

_Now, now Seth, be polite._ Her eyes seemed to be indicating. I tried not to scowl. She slowly got up from the bed and out of the room, leaving the two of us alone. For the next minute and a half, we simply stared each other down until I couldn't take it anymore.

"Come on," I said, my tone a bit too rough to be considered polite. I walked towards the door, "I could um, show you some of my… favorite spots?" I said a bit sheepishly. For a moment there, I thought Giselle was just going to go deaf on me again, but instead, she gave me a slight nod, and followed me out of the room.

To sum it all up, I gave Giselle a brief tour of where the bedrooms were, who slept where, where the emergency equipment was stashed, and so forth. She gave me a silent acknowledgement every now and then, but I could tell that her mind was elsewhere.

"What do you like to do?" Giselle said suddenly, fixing her eyes towards me. I was somehow caught off guard from her abrupt question.

"I like to moon gaze." I said slowly, eying her for a reaction. She kept her face blank, but I could tell there was a hint of surprise. "It's a favorite pastime of mine. I usually spend most of my time on the roof for this reason."

A pause.

"I see," she mumbled somewhat to herself. I chose to ignore that comment, and continued to do what I'd been doing: my new-found (forced) duty as an escort.

As we descended down the stairs, I caught a glimpse of a 6 year old boy getting reacquainted with his new parents. I swallowed deeply, feeling envious. So there goes _another_ one.

Apparently, I unintentionally said that last part aloud, when Giselle turned to look at me strangely. I struggled to keep a neutral countenance. Thankfully, she didn't bother to question me.

Ms. Lewinsky had called us down to eat. I got the usual amount after all the little kids have gotten theirs, and settled down at my corner. Enjoying the meal in silence while all the other kids were chatting about noisily at the lounging room just across from where I was sitting. Giselle just stepped out of the kitchen with nothing but a cup of water. Noticing where I was, she decided to sit down right next to me. Sipping on her cup of water as I chewed on my food, an unbearable silence once again developed between the two of us.

"Aren't you going to get anything to eat?" I asked her out of curiosity when I noticed her cup empty.

"I'm not hungry," Giselle said simply, looking at me with those uncanny silver eyes that I still wasn't used to seeing on _someone else._ "Why are you sitting here by yourself?"

"What?"

"Why are you not sitting with the others? They seem to be having a good time. Why don't you join them?" she reiterated, her eyes turning towards the commotion and then back at me.

"I…" I trailed off, unsure of how to answer. It was a simple question, yet I found myself incapable of answering it immediately. I could just tell her about my own concept of the cycle, but that would take too much explaining to do, not to mention how _personal_ it was to me _._ Giselle was someone I just met a few hours ago. Not exactly enough time to have me trust her.

"I prefer being alone." I said finally. It was a half truth. Very soon, I quickly finished what was left on my plate and got up to wash it in the sink. Giselle followed me soon after.

"Do you not like it here?" she said to me as I cleaned my plate. I pretended that I didn't hear her. I gestured for her cup, and as she handed it to me, I began washing that too. The scrubbing and rinsing could only do so much to break the eerie silence. Why was she suddenly asking me these personal questions? It was none of her business!

Unfortunately, that trick didn't seem to work. She just waited until I placed the plate and cup back into the cabinets, and repeated her question, only louder this time.

"Why are you asking me these questions?" I countered, my eyes slightly narrowed. This girl was too perceptive for her own good. I would have to remind her that _two_ could play at this game. "Why is it… that you barely talk to me at all when we first met, and now you are trying to get all familiar with me?" My voice had a suspicious edge to it.

"I was only curious," she said softly.

"Curious about what?" I said impatiently, tired of all this-this _pestering_.

"I'm curious as to why..." Giselle said slowly, looking straight at me, "you have such a forlorn look in your eyes."

My heart almost literally stopped beating as I instantly widen my eyes at her. For a moment, I thought I misheard her, because no one, and I mean _no one_ had ever said such a thing to me before. I was speechless. No retort, not a single defensive comment was able to form in my head. I couldn't say a thing. I didn't want to be backed into a corner like this. But this…this situation was unfamiliar to me. I had no idea how to act. I hated the look she was giving me, the _pity_ that was so apparent in her eyes. I clenched my teeth, seething. _Who does this girl think she is? How dare she assumes she knows better than me!_

The kids were still in the lounging room, and I could hear them starting to get up and inevitably come to where Giselle and I were. Despite how angry I was, I couldn't make a scene, especially not in front of _them_. With difficulty, I forcefully sucked it up and I only lowered my head slightly to tear my eyes away from her gaze, and I silently walked passed her and headed towards the stairs, not once looking back.

Giselle remained where she was, feeling her lingering gaze on me before disappearing from her sight.

-o-

I remained in my room for almost the entire rest of the day.

Call me a coward, but I didn't want to face Giselle, especially after what she just said had such a noticeable impact on me. In fact, I didn't want to see _anyone_ right now. Ms. Lewinsky must have gotten worried about where I was, and sent Nick (some 8 year old) to check up on me. I simply said I wasn't feeling too well, which wasn't exactly a lie.

It was such a shock as to how _easily_ Giselle saw right through me. Even Ms. Lewinsky didn't and still hadn't figured out as much about me than what that girl said in a single sentence.

I lied down on my bed, staring up at the ceiling while fumbling the golden drachma in my right hand. The coin was the only solid evidence that this morning's incident really did happen, which I still had trouble believing. I flipped the coin back and forth in front of my face, admiring the designs that were carved into the precious metal.

_You'll always find us at Yancy Academy if you need me or Grover's assistance._

That was what Chiron had said, I reflected. What else did he say? Toss the coin into a rainbow? Easier said than done. How in the world was I supposed to create a rainbow, especially in this kind of weather?

I quickly snapped out of these suggestions as soon as I had them. Even if I did manage to create this _Iris-Message,_ what did I plan to say? That I was having girl problems? That this girl made me feel awful by saying insensitive things about me?

I sooner go to _hell_ than say that.

I sat up rather abruptly from my bed, slipped on my sneakers that were lying near the door and grabbed my black coat as I placed the coin back into my jeans pocket. It was getting rather stuffy in here, and I desperately needed fresh air. After a few turns here and there, I found the window I was looking for, and easily opened the latch, hoping to find solitude at my beloved place on the roof.

Sadly however, that spot was currently _occupied._

"What are _you_ doing here?" I said harshly, as I narrowed my eyes at the intruder.

"I could ask you the same thing." Giselle replied, sitting with her knees held together with her gloved hands. "I was here first."

"It doesn't matter who was here first," I snapped. What the heck? Did this girl have some handbook titled ' _101 ways of how to piss Seth Hunter off'_? "I've been here longer than you, so you have no right to-!"

"Oh?" Giselle said amusingly. She raised an eyebrow. "Is this roof of yours perhaps licensed? Or does it have your name on it?"

I glared at her.

"I didn't think so." she concluded, taking in my silence as an acknowledgement, "but I certainly must say, this truly is the perfect place for moon gazing." Her face tilted up towards the cloudy grey sky as I begrudgingly decided to sit at least 5 feet away from her. There was no way I was going to let her win another argument. We sat there in silence, enjoying the snowy white view from above.

"I'm sorry." Giselle suddenly murmured. I turned my head towards her in surprise. "I didn't even consider your feelings, and I may have said things that may have hurt you unintentionally, and for that…" she turned her face slightly to face me, her eyes looking sincere, "I apologize."

There was a brief period of silence as I contemplated on what I should say. I really hadn't expected that she would actually apologize, and to say so in such a manner and this soon! Then, I realized that it was because of her apology that made me comprehend what I had actually done…was wrong. She was only curious. Heck, she only asked me a simple two questions! And what did I do? Shoved her to the side, and made her feel guilty by staying in my room all day for no good reason. Just when I thought I couldn't be any more pathetic.

She had slowly focused her attention on something else, until my answer turned her focus on me again.

"You don't need to apologize." I said quietly, not really looking at her as I reclined my head on my folded arms. I was feeling so, so awkward. "You didn't know, and I just…lashed out on you. So in truth, I suppose I'm the one… who should be saying sorry." I glanced at her briefly to see her reaction, and that was when I saw her smile.

She had her head slightly lowered, her eyes half closed as her auburn hair blew smoothly in the light wind with bits of snow swirling in the mix.

"You are even more mature than I realized." she said softly, still smiling.

"What is _that_ suppose to mean?" I said questionably. I didn't know whether she said that as a compliment or as an insult, or even both.

"Let's go in now, Seth." she said as she got up and moved towards the edge. "It's getting cold."

For once, I followed her without any complaints.

That night after dinner, all of the children gathered round the big table to celebrate my 13th birthday. After singing the usual 'Happy Birthday' song (much to my embarrassment), I blew out the 13 lit candles that surrounded the surface of my whip cream cake. As the cake was getting distributed, I noticed that Giselle was nowhere in sight. Still feeling guilty of what I'd done earlier, I picked up two plates of cake, and decided to go look for her.

Guess where I found her?

"You know, you really shouldn't go on the roof that much," I said, sitting down closer to her this time. "You might accidentally fall off."

"And you won't?" she said, her eyebrows raised. I gave a small laugh.

"Of course not," I said a bit proudly, "I have good balance." Noticing her disbelief, I added sheepishly, "and _a lot_ of practice." I handed her a piece of cake. "You want one?"

Giselle shook her head, "That's nice of you, but I already ate. You can have it."

"Suit yourself." I said. That meant more cake for me. I sat down and began to eat my cake, enjoying the rich taste of whip cream in my mouth. Oh man, I really got to thank Ms. Lewinsky later. Whip cream was like _the bomb_.

The sky had begun to darken as clouds began to gather around. Bits of snow swirled around gracefully as the winds finally died down. The full moon remained as bright as ever, and seeing it made me feel relaxed and forget everything around me. There were no monsters out there. No satyrs, centaurs, demigods, or gods. It was only me and the surrounding beauty of nature and snow. I wish I could remain in that moment for eternity.

I was interrupted from those blissful thoughts when Giselle spoke.

"Happy Birthday Seth" she said, a smile gracing her features. I stared at her for a moment.

And this time, I smiled back.

-o-


	5. Ambush

The next few days were relatively normal.

I didn't know what I was expecting. More monsters showing up? Mythical creatures in disguise? I wasn't entirely sure, but I had a feeling that something was going to happen soon, _really_ soon.

But until then, I could care less.

Giselle and I spent the next week or so in each other's company and helped out with the daily housework. The New Year was arriving, and I wasn't sure what the connection between holidays and adoptees was, but even if I did, it didn't help with the overcrowding and excessive work. There was so much that if Giselle hadn't decided to pitch in, I wouldn't had been able to complete them.

Giselle…

There was so much I didn't know about her, only that there was something _off,_ something _familiar_. It kept bugging me, frustrating me to the point that I wanted to just clench my hands into my hair and yell out in aggravation. The answer was only at the tip of my tongue, yet the words refused to form in my mind. The whole ordeal was simply _irritating_.

Perhaps it had something to do with our appearance. It wasn't surprising when some of the kids would often just stare back and forth between me and Giselle, trying to find something to differentiate besides the fact that we were of opposite genders. The other day, I even asked her jokingly if she was my long lost twin or something.

All she responded with was a " _maybe_ " and a knowing smile.

Then, just when New Years had ended, Giselle just up and disappeared.

She was gone without a trace.

Ms. Lewinsky naturally, panicked and started making calls to child's services and even made one of those "Missing" posters, pasting one on nearly every traffic pole at every intersection that I had ever came across. I was somewhat shocked of course, I mean, who ever heard of a girl showing up at an orphanage and then leaving a week afterwards? It was unorthodox, it was… _unexpected_.

I couldn't help but feel a little sad though, and a bit disappointed. I guessed all those questions would never be solved.

I pushed those pondering thoughts out of my head as I tried to fall asleep, but to no avail. It was the middle of the night, and the moonbeams seeped through the cracks in the blinds, casting crooked lines of white directly over the side of my bed. Dark silhouettes of soundly sleeping figures were apparent, and an occasional snore could be heard over the still silence. I slowly got up, and to the best of my ability, soundlessly made my way to the window and creaked open the blinds slightly.

That was when I saw it.

Normally, I wanted to get a glimpse of the moon on sleepless nights like this one. The surrounding foliage loomed overhead, and wherever the moonlight laid down its path, the snow glistened. Dark clouds spread over the grey heavens and all was eerily silent, the moon still in its regular position in that great dark sky, but the moon wasn't what my eyes were focused on.

There were glowing lights, and they were growing ever larger as they moved closer and closer to where the orphanage stood. Their figures soon emerged, and it took all of my willpower to not scream in terror-

There were at least a dozen or so _giants._ Each of them was holding a torch in one hand, and a 5 foot long club in the other. All of their illuminated faces were bent up, scarred, and just plain ugly, something like orks in the _Lord of the Rings_. Only difference was their height: standing at a minimum of 7 feet.

Even worse, they had the place surrounded.

I stumbled away from the window, catching my breath that I didn't realize I was holding. A million thoughts were going through my head as my heartbeat went on hyper-drive. What was I going to do? Should I wake the others? No, it would only make matters worse. They would panic, and could end up getting hurt or worse. Waking Ms. Lewinsky was definitely _not_ an option for the same said reasons as the kids. Oh by the gods, what was I going to do?

I peered through the blinds again, and saw that the giants were now clustered closer together, mumbling to themselves. It was only a few seconds later, that all of them started to head towards the edges of the building, their weapons raised.

_WHAM!_

The whole building shook, as if hit by a 5.0 earthquake. I glanced at the kids first to see if any of them were awake from the noise. Some of them shuffled slightly in their sleep, but were asleep nonetheless. Those things were going to knock the whole building down for who knew what...

Wait a sec…they couldn't be here for _me,_ could they?

I suddenly recalled Chiron mentioning about the whole 'demigod scent' thing. I never imagined it could be this strong as to attract a dozen giants at once. Well, if that was the case, then I was only left with one option:

I was going to use myself as bait.

It was the right thing to do. If they were, in fact, here because of my 'demigod scent', then it wouldn't be too much of a hassle to lure the beasts away. I didn't like the idea, but it was the best I got.

I felt myself trembling as I grabbed my coat that was hooked on the hanger, and slipped into my sneakers, again moving as discreetly as possible. If even one of the kids woke up, the success to my plan could easily go from a chance to nothing.

I went out the back door, the banging got even louder when I opened it. A harsh breeze hit my face as I rounded the corner and crouched down into the nearby bushes. From what I could see, a pile of broken bricks have started to form and water was squirting out rapidly. It seems like they located our water supply. It was time to act. Any minute wasted, and the building got closer and closer to becoming a pile of ruins. I made my way quickly to the other side of the woods, moving as low as I could until their backs were to me. With a deep breath and a burst of courage I didn't know I possessed, I stepped into the clearing.

"HEY UGLIES!" I yelled. All the giants turned to me, their faces scrunched up in bewilderment. The smashing ceased, at least for the moment. "YEAH, I'M TALKING TO YOU! YOU WANT ME? COME AND GET ME!" And for further emphasis, "WHAT? YOU STUPID IDIOTS DEAF OR SOMETHING? OR IS YOUR BRAIN TOO SMALL IN YOUR TOO BIG OF A HEAD?"

_"ROARRR!"_

Well, that sure got their attention. Soon enough, I was running for dear life with at least a dozen giants hot on my trail. At least I succeeded in luring them away from the orphanage, and I would make sure they would _never_ return to that place.

I ran like I never ran before: Dodging every branch, stone, and anything else in my way. The sounds of rustling branches and trees snapping increased my pace. Although it was the middle of the night, I was able to see everything clearly, and I knew these woods enough to know where I was headed. If my plan worked, these giants would never see the light of day.

There was a steep cliff up ahead in only a few more meters, located between the forest and the corners of the downtown area. Apparently, it was a construction site that some company had instigated a year ago, and they have managed to make quite a pit in the process with a nice, good pile of broken, jagged points of old debris left over from a demolished house.

_Just a few more feet,_ I told myself, _until I reached the desired destination_. My eyes lit up when I saw it.

It didn't change a bit. Now, I could only hope that giants didn't see well in the dark. I stood between the forest and the edge, waiting inevitably for the giant ogres to arrive.

The first appeared, its face distorted in frustration, with a large broken nose, and hairs sticking out of its nostrils. Its eyes widened when it saw me. It yelled and charged-club raised and all.

And just before it came within attacking range, I quickly leaped to the side, hitting my right side hard as I fell to the ground, just as the giant ran right past and fell to its demise.

Giants, although strong, weren't fast. The next two followed suit, screaming all the way down with a resounding _Poof._ But the fourth was not as careless, he screeched to a halt, his feet nearly over the cliff, but the ones behind it paid no heed and blindly charged forward, pushing the giant over the edge. I knew there were more coming, so I quickly climbed up a nearby tree and observed the scene.

A couple more giants approached, but unlike the first few, they didn't come up charging like bulls. Instead, they scattered around, and started _sniffing_.

_So they're trying to smell me out huh? Like that's going to happen._ I thought a little cockily as I hid myself in the leaves of the trees. It was so dark out I doubt they could even see what's in front of them without those torches. Some of the giants discovered the cliff, and were pointing frantically at what's below. There went Plan A.

As I sat safely secluded in my hiding spot, I managed to catch bits of their conversation:

"Where is he?!" one of them shouted, holding his club out in offense.

"We've been searching for long time…too tired," another complained.

"You fool!" another giant barked (the leader perhaps?), using only one burly hand to pick up the whiner and threw him against a nearby tree. The tree snapped easily into two parts.

"He is here! The goddess scent is strong! Do you not feel it?" the leader bellowed at his underlings.

_Goddess?_

When none of them said anything, the lead giant's face got even redder. "Search the area! Anyone who finds hunter can get first piece!" All the other giants roared in delight.

So they knew I was here. They were never going to leave. Not until they found me, and tear me to shreds. I was a sitting duck in the midst of at least 7 man-eating cannibals. The whole situation made me want to puke in fear and disgust.

Despite my coming predicament, I still wondered if the kids were okay. Maybe the loud banging woke them up and cause them to get out of the building safely, and if they were indeed awake, then Ms. Lewinsky would definitely call for the police when she saw the wreckage. She would notice how I was missing and probably send in guards to locate me, and it would all end in a happy ever after.

Yeah right. Unless the police were at least 7 feet tall with pro wrestling bodies, that ending wouldn't be happening any time soon.

A sudden shuffling of leaves snapped me out of my delusions. They were near my tree. I tried to calm myself to the best of my ability, and leaned towards the opening of the branches. I saw that two of them were at the trunk, the top of their heads dangerously close to where my occupied branch was. So close that they only needed to look up to see where I was.

It was definitely time to move. I stood up very slowly as to not alert them, and quietly made my way to another branch slightly higher than the previous. With my arms stretched out on either side, I walked nimbly across the branch, and _jumped_.

My landing was anything but pleasant. I ended up crashing against a bunch of branches that threatened to flip me back had I not grasped onto it tightly for dear life. My leap also triggered a response from the two giants, who were now alerting their other friends of their _discovery_.

I was back at square one. Only this time, I didn't have a plan.

Going back to the orphanage was out of the question. Whether they were asleep or awake, going back would only endanger them, and the last thing I needed was for the kids to play 20 questions about why giants weren't just fairy tales.

So where could I possibly go?

I leaped from tree to tree, running across each branch quickly as I jumped into yet another branch. I slipped a few times, but only forced myself up before any the giants had a chance to gain up on me. I was soon nearing the edge of the city. Hmm, the city…

Why not?

But before I could even carry out my newly found plan, an arrow flew right past the left side of my face, killing the giant behind me.

Another arrow followed soon after that, and another, and another. All of them aimed at the giants and just barely missing me. I heard shuffling in the trees, and whispered orders being exchanged. A figure moved past me quickly. A glimpse of silver glimmered briefly in the still darkness, and the figure swiftly took out two identical hunting knives, landed on the shoulders of a giant, and stabbed them into its forehead, gliding down gracefully as the giant dissolved into a thousand pieces.

I scrambled down from the tree as fast as I could, and once my feet hit the ground, I finally had a good view of the cloaked figure. When the figure turned around, I could tell that it was a girl.

She was at least 5 feet tall, perhaps a few inches taller than I was, with light brown skin and dark colored eyes. She had a silver circlet around her head, and if I wasn't seeing things, her eyes seemed to narrow once she saw me.

"Why is thou hindering here, _boy_?" she replied coldly. She said 'boy' like it was the best insult she could come up with, which I have a feeling, was.

"I should ask you the same question," I retorted. She tensed up as I walked closer to her, allowing her a better view of my face. "Seeing as how I live around here, and _you don't_."

"Is that so?" the girl said with a glower. Her companions joined us on the ground after dealing with the giants, each of them watching me warily, "and where exactly is thy abode?"

I was about tell her that it wasn't any of her business, when another being showed up. The girl was startled for a moment, before kneeling down on her knees. Her companions copied her example. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do, so I remained standing. When I saw who the respected person was, I was shocked to say the least.

" _G-Giselle_?" I said incredulously. There was no mistaking it. Even with her hair tied back in a ponytail, and a dramatic change to her apparel, there was only one other person that had the same color eyes I did, and she was standing right in front of me.

She simply gave a brief nod in my direction. "Hello, Seth. Why are you not asleep?"

I only gave her a blank look.

The silver circlet girl apparently noted our exchange with confusion. "My Lady, if I may ask, do you know this...?" I felt her gaze on me as she trailed off.

"Yes, Zoë." Before this Zoë could say anything else, Giselle continued, "do not worry. This child before you is _different_. There is nothing to fear or hate about him."

"If …if you say so, milady." Zoë replied quietly, reluctant.

"Who are you really?" I said carefully. My eyes peering into hers. I always knew there was something _off_ about her, but none of my suspensions came close to this. She seemed to have sensed what I was thinking, and gave me a small smile.

"I haven't been completely honest with you, Seth." Giselle answered. "My name really isn't Giselle."

"What? Then, what is your-!" I was forcefully interrupted by the appearance of yet another distraught figure.

"Phoebe!" Zoë exclaimed, running frantically over to her comrade, who I finally noticed, was suffering from severe injuries. "What has happened to thee?"

"We were attacked…came for backup… There was another horde…" Phoebe stated while breathing heavily.

Another horde? She couldn't be talking about more giants could she? If she was…then the orphanage-!

"Where are they?" I suddenly asked. Phoebe seemed surprised at my outburst, or was it for the fact that I was even here? I didn't care at the moment. "Where are they? What is this horde you are talking about?"

Finally, she was able to answer. "The _Laestrygonians_ …they were….near a building… in the woods…"

That was all I needed to know. I started to head out towards St. Clair's, but Giselle or whatever her name was, stopped me.

"Where do you think you are going?" she said with a hand on my shoulder.

"Isn't it obvious?" I said impatiently. "I'm going to help them!"

"Really? What weapons do you have to fight with?" I didn't answer her.

"Take this," she said. She made a bow and quiver of arrows appear in thin air, and handed it to me. I gaped.

"How did you...?"

"It doesn't matter," she said sternly. "Do you want them or not?" I looked at her briefly, and then I took the bow and arrows hesitantly.

"But I never took archery before." I said quietly. I slung the quiver of arrows over my shoulder.

"You don't need to worry about that. It will come naturally to you," she said, "and before you head out, will you guide us there? Surely, you cannot take down a whole horde of monsters by yourself?" I was startled by her generosity and kindness.

"Y-yeah I will. Thank you." I managed.

With that said, I headed towards my destination, only this time I had help on my side. For a moment, I thought I would have to slow down in order for them to catch up, but they were able to maneuver through the trees just as easily as I could, if not better. Up ahead, I could make out an outline of St. Clair's, growing ever clearer as I approached.

A bloodcurdling scream greeted our arrival.

-o-


	6. Two-Faced Enemy

The scream resonated from one of Giselle's faction. The girl was being choked to death by one of the giants, her legs dangling in the air until it slowly ceased their movement. It was an ugly sight, but I couldn't help but feel relieved that it wasn't one of the kids.

Everyone rushed into the clearing, some of the girls went to help out their comrades, while others took positions and shot arrows rapidly into our enemies. As for Giselle, she instantly went into combat mode, taking out numerous cannibals at a time with a swing of her dagger or an arrow through the head. At the end of this battle, I reminded myself not to piss _her_ off.

As for me, I dodged and sidestepped away from the giants' attacks, heading towards the entrance of the building, or at least, what was _left_ of the building.

The damage was so great that I was surprised that the building was even standing. Piles of brick and stone were in great quantity, and the clearing was soaked, probably from our damaged water supply. The wooden steps that led to the door were splintered or broken, pillars were dented, and as for the door, there was none. It looked as though it was ripped off of its hinges by brute force.

A giant came across my path, blocking my way to the steps. Its towering figure easily shadowed my entire being. I knew that this one was just like the others, around 7 feet. Up close however, that number seemed to triple.

"YOU!" the giant managed to choke out, holding a massive club lined with deadly spikes in one hand. " _You smell like goddess_!"

I scoffed mentally. _This_ _again? Are giants half blind_?

"Wow, a _goddess_ huh?" I said sarcastically. "I'm flattered, but I'm a _guy_ in case you didn't notice, and sadly, you smell…" I pinched my nose. "Like _trash_."

The giant roared in response, and I narrowly dodged a massive swing from the left. I ran behind it as the giant brought down its club in both hands, striking where I was only a second ago. I took out an arrow from my quiver, and set it up unnaturally quick with my bow, and just when the giant rotated around halfway, I let the arrow fly.

Its silver point found itself between the eyes of the giant, just before it dissolved.

 _Not bad_ , I thought, admiring the bow. It must be magical. There was no way a beginner like me could get such a perfect shot on their first try.

Now that there was no obstacle left in my path, I proceeded towards the steps, before being apprehended by the Zoë girl.

"Do not go in," she said sternly, her dark eyes boring into mine.

"Why? They should get out and escape while they can!" I said incredulously.

"They are currently under the influence of the Mist," she said calmly despite the situation. "They won't be hearing anything or seeing anything. But that could all change if you go in and alert them of your presence."

"I…oh." I said finally, so much for trying to get here. After hearing my response and knowing for sure that I wouldn't be barging in, Zoë left to join the others in taking down these beasts. There were still plenty of them left, and our side looked wiped out. I saw their movements get slower, their shots not as accurate, while the giants looked as if they could still jog for 50 miles. Only Giselle had the energy to keep going. Although she did not seem like it, she was _struggling_.

At least half a dozen giants surrounded her, aiming hits with their massive clubs and torches. She dodged a couple and jumped inhumanly high into the air, her foot landing briefly on the swerving weapon, and almost instantly launched an arrow through the giant's head at face point. She continued this tactic, as if driven purely on instinct, and after a few moments, half of her opponents were taken out. Beads of sweat clung to her face as she breathed heavily, daggers in both hands. Her movements were mesmerizing, like a _dance_.

I walked towards her direction, deciding to help her out. I notched my arrow towards the giant that she was currently engaging in, and it disappeared into pieces once the tip embedded into its heart. She glanced towards my direction, surprise written clearly on her face.

"What are you doing?" she said with her voice raised over the surrounding chaos. I positioned myself next to her.

"What do you mean ' _what am I doing_ '?" I questioned. "I'm helping you."

"You shouldn't be here," Giselle insisted, as she dodged a crucial blow to her head. "It's too dangerous Seth! You don't have any experience!" She dodged another hit. "You should be helping the others!"

I aimed another arrow at the closest giant before answering her, their numbers seemed endless. "Do you think I don't know that?" I pulled out another arrow. "I only came to help you because you look like you needed it." Another giant fell. "I don't care if I don't have enough experience! This is my _home-"_ I stumbled as a giant grazed my leg. I got back up quickly, and aimed. There went yet another giant, "It is my _family_ that I'm fighting to protect."

We were now back to back, taking a defensive stance. "So don't you _dare_ tell me not to fight!" I finally finished. I waited for a response, a retort, anything, but I got none. I turned sideways to get a glance at her expression, but all I saw was _resignation_.

"Fine," she said at last. "If you insist on fighting so strongly, then I won't stop you. But if you are to aid me-then follow after my movements." I nodded briefly, as five more giants encircled us.

Giselle swung her dagger swiftly to her right, slashing a deep cut on the legs of one giant. It involuntarily collapsed, and as it fell, Giselle stabbed it in the head with her other dagger. Another giant was about to close in on her, but before it had the chance, I shot it through the neck. There were three more giants behind me. I could tell just from the shadows that were cast from their torches. Giselle also noticed this, and she appeared to soar over me, daggers pointed straight out from her sides, and when her feet slammed into the giant's chest, she lunged forward rapidly, both daggers embedded into its head. The last two were more defensive, their clubs and torches raised in front of them, but I was already behind them. I aimed an arrow in each of their calves before they had a chance to look behind, and as they fell, I ran across one of their backs, and shot my arrow at its neck at close range. Giselle had taken care of the other giant. I looked to her to tell me what I should do next.

"We help the others." she said, sensing my thought.

I looked around to see if anyone would need my (or our) assistance, I noticed how Zoë was fighting off two of the giants by herself, but she seemed more than capable enough to defeat them. Giselle was now conversing with another one of her comrades who had come up to her as soon as her fight ended. Giselle looked serious for a moment, and as they talked further, her expression went from bewilderment, to shock, and then to grave seriousness. All in a span of a minute. Who knew she was capable of making that many expressions in such a short time?

She caught me looking at her, and I quickly turned away. I should be helping someone, not standing here staring while everyone else was fighting for my family's sake. I observed my surroundings for a moment, and noticed how two of the girls were being backed to a corner by four giants. I guessed I would start there.

-0-

After about twenty minutes, all the giants were at last, terminated. I was tired, and I mean dead tired. My whole body ached. Numerous cuts and bruises were sported on my arms and legs, and my head…I didn't even want to know. That last knock on the side of my temple must have been more serious than I thought. I could hardly focus on something. The world seemed to be moving in circles. I hastily placed my hand on the trunk of a tree to maintain my balance.

Everyone else were either recuperating or tending to the wounded. Giselle and Zoë were speaking together in discreet whispers at the other side of the clearing. The clearing was scorched. Small fires formed in different areas, creating a light that lit up the darkness. Many of the trees that had surrounded the orphanage were either splintered or broken in two. I sat down by the tree and stared up at the sky, the sight of the moon's crest gave me an ethereal assurance. It was the same as always of course, fading every few seconds whenever dark clouds surged past it, and returned ever brighter.

I wondered what time it was. Had I been out here for an hour, two hours? I didn't know and I didn't care. All I did care about was that the kids and Ms. Lewinsky were safe, and I somehow made it out of this mess alive and in one piece.

It was finally over.

Or so I thought.

I didn't know which sound alerted us first: the snapping of twigs or the stomping of heavy feet over the piles of stone, but we were all up and ready, preparing for phase two of the battle if the situation demanded it.

There was still one giant left who was standing in the midst of the smoke that resonated from one of the pyres, and the first thing that struck me odd was the fact that he was _small._ Not the same height as an average human, but definitely smaller than the giants that I had fought against. He slowly stepped out of the smoke. I saw that he held one of the injured girls by the neck of her throat, holding her with an outstretched arm…

…while holding a lighted torch out into a soaked clearing.

Soaked. Oh god, that wasn't water! It was...

Gasoline.

It was clear what the giant wanted: _Spare me or they die._

There were many solutions to this sort of dilemma, but none of them looked too bright. You spare the giant, the orphanage may be saved, but the same couldn't be said for the girl. The monster needed a hostage, and as soon as it reached the seclusion of the forest, it would either let go of the girl and run for its life, or simply snap her neck (the latter seemed more likely). But if one killed the giant, it would drop both the girl and the lit torch, and in reverse, _the girl_ would be the one saved, but the orphanage would face its demise.

Who knew a supposedly dumb giant could be this sly?

I turned my gaze away from the scene and found Giselle in the crowd. It was up to her on how this whole mess would be resolved. The others looked up to her as their leader, and they would follow her no matter what she decided on, that I was sure of. She caught my look, and stared at me in return. Her expression seemed to be in turmoil, but slowly morphed into one of resolution. The look in her hardened silver eyes told me what I feared.

She has made the decision, but it wasn't the one I wanted.

Instantly, I ran towards Giselle's direction, she was quickly lifting her bow with her arrow intact. I managed to collide against her, she had an expression of shock when she saw me upon her, and hastily backed off, but it was already too late. The arrow was already in flight.

By the time I turned my attention to the giant, the arrow was already midway towards its goal, killing the giant, which in turn released the girl and caused the torch to fall…

" _NO!_ " I screamed, rushing forward, but Giselle had got back up quickly, and held me back tightly, her arms circling around my waist. The fire lit the gasoline, sucking it up quickly, and a large explosion occurred only a second later as it reached the roots of the building. The repeated outbursts causing me to back off, debris blew towards me, but the searing pain didn't bother me, nor did I feel any burning sensation. I was too shocked, too hurt, and too _angry_ to even give a damn about it.

" _Why_?!" I screeched, mustering up the worst glare I could manage, and directed it at the one who caused it all. Giselle looked at me steadily. "WHY?" I repeated. My rage built up each passing millisecond. "Why did you kill that beast?! We could have-!"

"-and you could have done what, Seth?" she said calmly, her eyes as cold as steel. "What could _you_ have done?" She looked at me with such ambivalence that I wondered if this was even the same girl that I knew a few moments ago. I tried speaking out, but I was so furious that words refused to form in my head. Taking in my supposed silence, she spoke again, "I _had_ _to_ choose Seth, and it was either one of my hunters, who I consider my own sister, and who has fought alongside me for many decades, serving me with the upmost loyalty or _them_ : A group of mortals that I only met a week ago. Surely, you must understand where I am coming from."

A pause.

"All I understand..." I finally managed out, hatred edging each word, "…is that you are the most cold-hearted, deceiving, pretentious _bitch_ that I have ever met in my whole goddamn life."

All of the hunters immediately aimed their arrows at me. Many had bewildered and angered faces.

"How _dare_ you call our honored mistress such foul names!" Zoë cried out indignantly. She was ready to launch her arrow at my face, when Giselle stopped her, surprisingly.

"That is enough Zoë," Giselle said indifferently, not at all fazed by my insults. "Please leave us."

"But my Lady-!"

" _Leave us_." she said, this time with an edge of authority. Zoë reluctantly backed down, and the others followed suit, but not before casting me venomous glares that promised murder if I did anything to their 'honored mistress'. I only glared back at them, not in the least bit intimidated. They were all gone after a few moments, leaving me alone with this two-faced wretch.

"I know you hate me," she said solemnly, her eyes scrutinizing me under her gaze. "You made that obvious, but I will let you know, that if I was given that choice again and again, I will not change my decision."

"Then tell me this: _why_ did you hold me back?" I said, trying to tone down my rage, only because it was starting to create a major headache to my already bruised head. "You only met _me_ a week ago. _You don't even know me_."

"It is because you are special, Seth," she said. "You are different than the others. Even from other demigods, your existence is not without a specific purpose."

"Who are you?" I said slowly with narrowed eyes. " _What_ are you?"

'Giselle' took a moment to answer, stating your response slow and clear. "I am known by many names. Diana, the goddess of the hunt and fertility, but I am most often deemed as _Artemis_ , the goddess of the moon. One of the 12 Olympians."

A moment of silence.

"You?" I said incredulously. " _You're Artemis_?"

She only stared at me in return.

"And you seriously expect me to believe that?" I said in disbelief. If it weren't for the seriousness of the situation, I would have laughed. "Is this your idea of a joke? If it is," I gave a glower and my voice became humorless. "I don't find it very funny."

"It isn't." she assured me.

"Really?" I said a little mockingly, as anger began to seep back in. "Then give me _one_ goddamn good reason- why a goddess, especially one who's sexist against guys, is standing before me?" 'Artemis' was about to say something, but I didn't give her the chance, "and tell me why, for someone who didn't give a damn about mortals that she ' _met only a week ago'_ , would toy with my emotions, pretend to be my _friend,"_ I spat out, "yet went through the trouble of fighting those beasts and _held me back_? You shouldn't care if I got injured or even died. In fact, that would have saved you the trouble, but you didn't."

I paused, as tears threatened to seep out, but I furiously blinked them back. There was no way in hell that I was going to appear… vulnerable. I was supposed to be the older brother, the one that everyone looked up to, the one that didn't appear weak or confused, the one that was supposed to be the good role model, the one that didn't _fail_ them. Yet it's too late now wasn't it? I was never going to see them again. Not in real life anyways, but the images of them slowly burning to death, of them crying in agony would forever sear my memories. Even months after this incident happened, I would admit that I still saw them. Their anguished cries still _haunted me_.

Artemis had moved closer to me, so close that she could simply reach out and touch me. She must have thought that I had calmed down when she started to speak.

"It was not pretend," she stated softly, "and I most definitely was _not_ toying with your emotions. That would be despicable even for me."

"Then why?" I repeated, my voice in a harsh whisper, "why do you even care about me? I'm just a nobody."

"It's because…" Artemis stated slowly, as if debating whether she should let out what she was thinking or not, "it's because…"

"Because of what?" I asked a little impatient. She looked at me sternly in the eye and what she said next, forever changed the way I perceived myself.

" _It's because I'm your mother_."

Reality sure was harsh.

What she said had taken me completely out of surprise, but as soon as that shock came in, it went out twice as fast, and was rapidly replaced with renewed hatred. Almost without a thought, I slapped away her outstretched hand. I would never want her near me… _ever_.

"You must really like to fool around with me don't you?" I hissed, keeping a good distance away from her. She looked offended. "Do you think I'm _stupid_? Even I know that Artemis, or whoever you claim to be, is a _maiden_ goddess! You said it yourself! She isn't supposed to have kids!"

"You are right." Artemis said slowly. "She isn't."

"So you admit you were lying-!"

"I was _not_ lying." she said firmly. "Just because I said I was your mother…does not necessarily mean you are my son."

"What? What are you even saying? That doesn't make any…" I faltered, because right then I knew. All the facts were there. I was just too stubborn to notice. The fact we looked so much alike, had the same likes and dislikes, the way we looked at each other, and could easily guess what the other was thinking. The way she seemed to know me better than I knew myself…

"It can't be…" I stammered, as I involuntarily dropped to my knees and faced the cold hard earth. "It's not possible. I can't be a…"

"Yes," Artemis stated gravely, "you are simply…a copy."

A copy.

I forced myself to face her, hoping to see even the slightest hint that what she said wasn't true, but I couldn't find any. I forced myself to say something, anything to put an end to the insufferable silence that had followed.

"How?"

"The process …is much too complicated for a mortal to comprehend, so I will put it in simpler terms," she said without taking her eyes off of me. "Perhaps you have heard of _Pandora_? The gods themselves created her to become the very first female mortal, destined to unleash the evils that was contained in that jar. Your _creation_ is similar to that of Pandora. The only difference is that you were made solely by me." She paused as if she expected me to say something.

I kept my mouth shut.

Artemis continued, "so I basically took a bit of what you mortals call ' _DNA_ ', or at least something similar to it, modified it a bit, and placed it into a host that I created. By doing so, you came into being. You became _alive._ I am the only goddess that is able to accomplish such a feat. It is…one of the advantages of being a goddess of fertility."

I supposed what she had said made sense, but it was just too bizarre for my mind to handle. There was still something that I was unsure about.

"Why create me then?" I asked. "You said before that I was _made_ for a special purpose-what was that purpose exactly?"

Artemis hesitated. She had that look that told you that she wanted to answer, but couldn't. "It is…not wise for mortals to know of what is to come. But according to my brother, Apollo, he prophesied that you would one day turn the tides in an upcoming disaster. But it is uncertain whether you would turn it in our favor or that of our enemy. But the gods have decided to uptake this gamble, and wait to see what the fates have in store for all of us."

"And if I do oppose the gods?"

Her expression hardened. "Then I will _personally_ put an end to your existence."

"So what am I then?" I shouted angrily. "Am I just some _pawn_ that the gods like to play around with? Am I just a _tool_ that is to be used and… _discarded_?" I was beyond rage at this point. How dare the gods use me like this! How dare _she_ create me and threaten my life as if _she_ had the control!

Despite my proclamation of anger, Artemis was stoic, blind to the fury of my words.

"In other words," she replied coldly.

That was the last thing I heard before I suddenly collapsed. Artemis had gotten behind me and knocked me out swiftly with only one hand.

And the last thing I saw before I slipped into oblivion was how her eyes, my _dear mother's eyes,_ became filled with pity.

-o-


	7. First Impressions

When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was the _warmth_.

It was supposed to be the middle of winter, so I must be inside a building. But inside of what, I wasn't so sure. I moved my hands slowly, trying to feel the area around me, and all I got were sheets, soft bed sheets. I slightly opened my drowsy eyes, and a piercing light met my gaze. When it subsided, I made a grunt, which triggered a response from the other occupant in the room.

"You're finally awake." A voice. It sounded familiar. Where did I hear it before?

"You scared me there for a moment, man-" Was that _Grover?_ "You'd been asleep for the past three days." I snapped my eyes open at that, and turned my attention to the satyr. I must have had a bewildered look on my face when Grover's expression became one of concern.

"Hey, are you alright?" Grover asked. I stared at him for a few moments before I finally found my own voice.

"I was asleep for... _three days_?" I repeated.

"Yeah, but that's really nothing to worry about. Some of the people here could take up to 5 days or even a week in order to heal from _those_ wounds."

"Wounds?"

Grover nodded. "You had deep bruises all over, not to mention some nasty cuts. The side of your head was bleeding when we arrived to get you, so we thought you had a concussion or something since it turned out to be a minor cut."

I processed what he said albeit slowly. I never thought that my injuries were actually that serious. I looked away from Grover and looked down at my bandaged arms, and from what I could feel, the upper part of my chest and back was also bandaged. I raised a hand to my forehead: sure enough, layered bindings were also wrapped around it. No wonder Grover was so worried. I probably looked like a mess.

"But it doesn't hurt." Grover only smiled.

"Of course not, we made sure to feed you ambrosia and nectar, _food of the gods_. It speeds up the healing process."

"Then can I leave?" I asked hopefully.

"I guess you could, but I don't recommend it. It's best if you remain in bed to rest up."

"Oh." I looked down at my lap. It's been three days since that _incident._ I guessed Artemis did have a heart. To actually call for Grover, and probably Chiron too, and didn't leave me in the woods.

"Don't you have any questions?" Grover asked a bit curiously. I looked up at him.

"Not really," I replied. "I kind of figured out we were at this camp. You're not using your handicap equipment, and judging from all these beds here," I looked towards the side slightly, "I'm probably in a hospital or something, right?" I glanced at him for confirmation.

"I think," Grover grinned, "that you, could be a _child of Athena_." I nearly snorted at that comment, "Most newcomers always ask that first question ' _What is this place?_ ' or ' _Where am I?_ ' but you…you managed to figure it out just by looking around."

"It's nothing," I mumbled, not used to compliments. "I'm sure anyone will notice if they pay enough attention." I pulled the covers away, and slid my feet over the edge. I tried standing, but I was a bit shaky, and would have lost my balance if Grover hadn't given me a hand.

"Careful there," he said, placing a hand on my shoulder to steady me. "You sure you want to get out now?"

"I like being outdoors." I answered, before I tried walking normally to the exit. By the time I got outside, I was on a wooden porch. There were many deck chairs by the side, and _the view_! There were lush green fields filled with the scent of fresh strawberries. The sun was shining high up in the sky, and if I looked closely, there were horses, and they were _flying_! It felt so nice out, that for a moment I thought I slept through all of winter and spring instead of just 3 days.

"Beautiful." I whispered in awe.

Grover had walked up behind me, and with a hand, he motioned me to follow him.

"Where are you leading me?" I asked, while staring at the Greek architecture and glistening lakes that were behind what appeared to be a farmhouse. There were kids of all ages. Some of them as young as 6 years old, others looked like they were in their late teens. The only similarity I saw in all of them was the orange T-shirts-labeled ' _Camp Half-Blood'_. For someone who didn't hang out with many people, I was easily overwhelmed. I wondered if I regretted coming out here so early.

"You're going to meet Chiron and the camp director, Mr. D. Chiron you already met, as for Mr. D…" Grover seemed to tremble at the mere mention of him. "Try to be on your best behavior." He didn't say anything else after that.

We finally reached them at the end of the porch. Chiron was sitting directly across some short chubby guy that I assumed was Mr. D. They were in the middle of a card game, and it was obvious that Chiron was winning big time. Chiron looked up at us as we approached.

"Seth," Chiron greeted warmly, "I see you are healing nicely."

"It's great to see you again, Chiron." I replied. I seated myself in one of the empty chairs at the table. Grover remained standing. I looked away from Chiron briefly, and glanced across the table at the short pudgy man known as Mr. D, who still hasn't bothered to look up from his cards. He had an intoxicating stench around him, the type of stench that could only be found around bars.

"Seth, I would like you to meet Mr. D. He is the camp's head director." I nodded. Grover had already informed me. I looked at him, but he still paid me no heed.

"Mr. D?" Chiron prodded him. That was when Mr. D finally snapped his attention away from the game.

"Huh?" Mr. D said, and then he finally noticed me. "Oh." I continued to look at him, and my stare probably started to get on his nerves when he snapped. "Well? What do you want? You want me to say ' _hello_ '? Alright then," he looked at me face on, " _hello_." He quickly turned away from me as if I wasn't even worth a second of his time.

"Mr. D." Chiron said more seriously.

"Oh alright." Mr. D said annoyed. "Welcome to Camp Half-Blood, and yada yada yada. Don't expect me to be all that nice, Sam Hudson."

"It's Seth Hunter." I said, growing irritated.

"Whatever. Shouldn't you still be in bed? Look at you, what a mess. Grover!" Grover suddenly snapped into attention. "You should know better than to allow foolish demigods up and running when they only just recovered."

"I-I a-apologize, Mr. D." Grover said nervously. His hands were wrapped around an empty coke can, making crunchy noises as he spoke.

Mr. D only scoffed in response, and turned to study me under his scrutinizing gaze. I knew that Grover told me beforehand to be on my best behavior, but that was getting rather difficult with each passing second. The only thing that kept me from cursing this fat potbelly out was his _aura._ It was nearly identical to that of Artemis, and if that meant anything, then this rude guy could actually be a god. That was enough to keep my mouth shut, lest my offending words got me incinerated.

What a great first day.

I turned my attention away from the irritating midget to Chiron.

"So what am I supposed to do now?" I asked.

"Well, isn't that obvious?" Mr. D said obnoxiously. "You should go see that orientation film, but seeing as how you already know everything that would be unnecessary. Grover, why don't you make yourself useful and show the new brat around? Make him feel welcomed and all that nonsense."

"Of course Mr. D! Right away, sir!" Grover said immediately, tugging my arm away from the centaur and godly midget. "Come on, Seth." I went along with Grover as I narrowed my eyes at the retreating forms behind me.

-o-

"I wanted to strangle him," I muttered under my breath. Grover looked at me with a shocked countenance.

"Please don't say that," Grover said, "I know Mr. D…can be irritating at times, but it's best that you don't get on his bad side."

"Then why is he even here? He obviously hates his job."

"His father forced him to take this position. He offended him a while back when Mr. D fell for a wood nymph that was off-limits."

"A wood nymph?" I said surprisingly. "Just for a wood nymph?"

Grover shrugged. "He was warned the first time, but he paid no heed to it, and now this is his punishment, along with no access to alcohol of any sort."

"Alcohol…" I stated, while thinking back to the Greek myths that I tried hard on reading. "Mr. D's father…he isn't by any chance _Zeus,_ is he?" The sky seemed to darken when I said his name. Grover looked up at the sky, worried.

"It's best that you avoid stating their names," he warned. "As for your question, yes, his father is the lord of the sky."

"I see." So now I knew Mr. D's true identity. I sure was glad I didn't try to curse him. "Hey Grover, I was wondering, how did I get here exactly?"

"I carried you," he answered. Seeing my shocked expression, he continued, "Chiron got an Iris message saying how you needed our help. So Chiron and I got there as fast as we could. When we arrived, you were unconscious, and the girl that had given us the message told us that you needed medical help as soon as possible. You were carried on my back some parts of the way, until I got us a taxi. Chiron caught up with us later. Then, I dragged you up the hill, passed Thalia's Pine tree, and that's it." I was stunned to say the least.

"T-thank you." I managed, scratching the back of my head awkwardly.

"It's nothing. After all, it's my job." Grover said with a smile. "In fact, I should be thanking you. Not for getting injured mind you, but for allowing me to get my searcher's license."

"Searcher's license?"

"It is every satyr's dream to look for the lost god, Pan. You heard of him, right?" I nodded. "For the last millennium, he has gone missing. The council has all but given up on him, but I hope to be the first to successfully bring him back."

"Whoa," I exclaimed. "The first? Are you saying there were others, and none of them ever came back?"

"Yeah," Grover said, "but I can't just give up because no one else succeeded so far. It's my dream."

"So you're saying, that in order to get this _license-_ you need to bring a demigod to camp?"

Grover nodded, with a smile on his face. "That's basically it. You were my second chance, Seth. The first time I tried…well, let's just say I failed terribly. My second time, however, I made the council look past that by bringing you here. At first, I thought my second chance would be Percy. Turns out it wasn't." He looked so happy, that I couldn't help but smile along.

"Congrats." I said. I gave him a pat on the back.

We reached a clearing: 12 different types of cabins stood in its place. There were two large ones in the middle, with 10 cabins surrounding them in the shaped of a U. There was also a young girl tending a fire set in front of the two large cabins.

"The twelve Olympians?" I guessed. Grover nodded.

All of the cabins had their own type of style. Cabin 1 was enormous, with large bronze pillars that scattered the light into different reflected angles, as if lightning was slashed upon it. Cabin 2 was slightly smaller, with peacock feathers designed all over the front. We continued on, each of them getting weirder than the last. Cabin 3 had seashells and coral for walls, like the whole thing belonged under the sea. There was another that shined so bright that it hurt my eyes just from staring at it. There was one other cabin that caught my attention, and I knew automatically which one it belonged to.

Cabin Number 8. _Artemis' Cabin._

It was…beautiful. The whole cabin was practically made of pure silver. It was of average size, and had thin decorated pillars, with the sign of the stag as its emblem. It may not be as grandiose as some others, but it had a soft, elegant feel to it. The cabin looked pretty dull right now during the day, but I could only imagine how _magnificent_ it would look when the moon appeared tonight.

Grover caught my staring at Cabin 8, and I quickly broke away the urge of touching or even looking at the silver cabin. Last thing I needed was for people to assume I was some illegitimate child from a goddess that shunned guys.

As if I didn't have enough problems.

"So, whose cabin is this?" I asked, hoping to change the topic before it started.

It worked. Grover quickly gave me a thorough explanation of how it belonged to Artemis, how she even had a whole girl scout group notably called 'The Hunters of Artemis'. He also gave a brief history of their origins, and how the current lieutenant, Zoë Nightshade, was second in command.

Met them, saw them, and didn't like them a bit.

Then, he went on to talk about why some of the Cabins were empty. Artemis, of course, was a virgin, so no kids ( _If only he knew_ , I thought bitterly). Hera was the goddess of marriage, so she had no kids other than Ares, Hephaestus, and Hebe. He also talked about a 'Big Three Pact' that occurred after the World Wars, but I didn't pay much attention to that since it didn't involve me. It was only until he mentioned Thalia, daughter of Zeus, did my interest perk up.

"So she got turned into a pine tree?" I asked, interested.

Grover nodded, his eyes looking downcast. "She tried to protect two of her friends, who eventually made it across the border. Hades was furious when he found out that Zeus had broken the pact, so he sent the worst monsters after Thalia. She was eventually overwhelmed, and as she lay dying, her father took pity on her, and preserved her as a tree." He looked towards the pine tree that was at the edge of the border. "That is why that tree is known as Thalia's."

I didn't say anything to that, but I was already admiring this Thalia, even though we had and would never meet. She protected those who were close to her at the cost of her life. If only I could have done half as much that night.

"Come on Seth," Grover urged. "Let's get you introduced to Cabin 11."

-0-

Cabin 11 was, by far the most _messed up_ out of the 12.

It was practically a zoo in here, all the bunk beds in the patched up cabin were already taken, and it was _overcrowded_. In fact, there were probably more sleeping bags than actual beds in this place. I quickly dodged to the left as an incoming plate crashed into the wall behind me. There was laughter and a couple of shouts going on simultaneously, and some of the kids were even jumping from one bunk bed to the other, while doing _somersaults_.

This place…was the embodiment of true chaos.

I looked at Grover with a look that clearly indicated ' _Are- you- freaking- serious?!'_. Grover only looked back at me sheepishly. This place was dense and suffocating. I think I preferred sleeping on the rooftop if it meant getting my own space. A tall sandy haired guy made his way towards Grover and I. He looked to be around 17 to 18, with a good athletic build. He looked like your average teen model. That is, if it wasn't for the long scar that ran across the edge of his face.

"Hey," he called, his eyes fixed on me. "You must be new here." I nodded, suddenly feeling out of place. "So, is he a regular or undetermined?" Since I didn't know what he was talking about, he must have been speaking to Grover.

"Undetermined," was all he said, and I couldn't help but notice the look of disappointment that etched across the guy's face. When he caught my gaze, he threw me a friendly grin.

"Well, I know it isn't much, but welcome to Hermes Cabin! I'm _Luke Castellan_ , the head counselor of Cabin 11." he said warmly, and then he walked away, motioning me to follow him. Grover gave a smile of encouragement.

"Go on," he said. "If you need me or anything…"

"It's fine," I said, and I went to follow after Luke. I didn't know how I could keep up with him, having to step over sleeping bags and other things in the way, and he was walking at a moderate pace. I supposed years of practice were the solution.

When he finally stopped, I noticed the sleeping bag on the floor, still rolled up and unclaimed.

"Here," Luke called out, throwing me an orange shirt, "take it. It's now yours, along with the sleeping bag."

"Oh, thanks," I said as I settled down.

"It's no problem," Luke replied as he helped me unwrap the bag. "So what's your name?"

"Seth…" I pulled the orange shirt over my dirtied one. "Seth Hunter."

"It's nice meeting you, Seth," he smiled. "How do you like camp so far?"

"Um, I'm not quite sure yet actually," I said honestly. "I haven't seen all of camp, and you're the first person I met besides Grover, Chiron, and Mr. D."

"I see," Luke said, while thinking, "then how about I show you around?" I widened my eyes in surprise, taken off guard by his offer. "You probably haven't seen the armory yet, or the arena and archery range-!"

"Archery range?" I interrupted.

Luke raised an eyebrow. "You like archery?"

I mentally slapped myself. _Fool! If you don't want people to find out about your parentage, you don't give away obvious hints!_ I smiled uneasily to cover up the mental battle I was having.

"It's nothing," I said calmly, "I always wanted to try out the sport." Luke still didn't look convinced, "So what's the armory for? Do I get my own weapon?" Luke still looked at me funny before answering me.

"You will eventually," he said finally. "But if you're really that enthusiastic about archery…" He stood up. "How about we head there first?"

"Alright."

-o-

There were many people out at the archery range. Some of them were practicing, others watched. By the time we came up on the platform, a boy with sun colored hair and tanned skin had just released his arrow, and it hit nearly dead center. His friends cheered at the side. I admit that was a good shot, but as I examined more closely where the arrow was embedded, I noticed it was slightly to the left. That was when I couldn't help but think:

I could do better than that.

"Hey Will!" Luke called. The boy who had made the shot turned around, and smiled when he noticed who was calling him. "You mind if we use the target practice for today?"

"I don't mind," Will said as he walked up to us. He was pretty tall, easily towering over my average height. "I never saw you as the archery type, Luke."

"Oh, it's not me that's using the practice," Luke motioned me to come over. "Seth Hunter, this is _Will Solace_ , son of Apollo."

_Apollo, god of the sun, music, archery, prophecy, and healing,_  I recalled. _This is his son? He sure looks like it._

"Hi," I said, feeling self-conscious. "I'm the one that wants to use it. I hope I'm not…intruding."

"Not at all," Will said, then he frowned when he noticed the bindings on my head. "You okay? Your head…"

"Oh this? Don't worry about it. I think it healed a while ago." Will only shrugged in response.

"If you say so." He handed me a bow and arrow. "Give it your best shot."

They positioned the targets according to distance. The closest target was at five feet, with the next target moved another 5 feet back. Will managed that shot on the second to last target, around 45 feet from where he was standing. I was adjusting my bow towards the first target. Everyone else had ceased what they were doing when they noticed the new kid was up.

The bow that I had was sturdy, and slightly heavier than the one I used before. I took a moment to position the arrow, and then I released it.

It hit dead center.

Will whistled in astonishment. "Good shot. Have you taken archery lessons before?" I shook my head.

"Beginner's luck?"

"No…I don't think so." Will said, a grin starting to appear on his face. He positioned the next target at 10 feet. "Try this one."

I released the arrow, and again it hit dead center. The crowd that had started to gather became filled with whispers and excitement as Will positioned the target at 15 feet, and again I made a perfect shot. This continued on as I reached 20, 25, all the way to 40. By the time I reached 45 feet, I took longer than I did the others. The target was getting smaller and smaller as it got farther away. I had to squint my eyes in order to even see the center point, but I wanted to beat Will's score. So once I got my bow at a decent angle, I released it with all I had. Once it hit, someone had to go up and check it in order to see how precise it was. A girl volunteered to check, and after examining it, her face had a look of astonishment.

" _I-it's perfect!_ " she called out. Everyone cheered. Some people probably didn't even believe that a beginner could have such luck. Trust me, I didn't either.

I looked towards Will, suddenly afraid that he was angry at me for beating his score, but when I looked, he only had a huge grin on his face. Luke was also looking very proud of me, boasting to everyone else how I was in his cabin. The last target was already being set out, and the clamor began to cease.

_This is it,_ I thought eagerly, _the last one_.

I concentrated, steadying my bow like always. But just when I was about to release it, the sun came out from behind the clouds, momentarily blinding me with its light. I lost a clear view of my shot when I released the arrow. So instead of the 'perfect shot', the arrow landed somewhere else entirely: it soared right over the target, and was heading to where two girls were sitting under a tree. I cried out in warning, and thankfully, the blonde-haired girl noticed, and quickly moved out of the way.

The arrow had struck the roots of the tree, where moments ago, it could have been one of the girls' legs. The two girls, realizing that the danger had passed, turned around and glared in my direction. The two then got up, the blonde bent down and pulled the arrow out roughly, and stomped her way towards me. Her expression clearly showed that she was pissed.

Everyone was strangely quiet as the blonde and I faced each other. From up close though, I realized the girl was pretty. Curly blonde hair, a good figure, and stormy grey eyes that had an edge of danger to them. She stared at me without blinking, like she was trying to analyze how to beat me up.

"I believe this is yours?" she replied icily as she held the arrow out to me and placed it in my hand.

I gulped.

"Oh come on, Annabeth," Luke called out as he walked up towards us, "he's new here. He meant no harm." Her expression seemed to soften by a small degree. "You're probably scaring the poor kid."

She looked at me silently, narrowing her eyes ever so slightly, and then she sighed.

"Fine. Just make sure it _doesn't_ happen again." Then, Annabeth turned away to join her friend. "Let's go, Silena." The other girl gave me a brief glare before following after her.

When they were both out of earshot, everyone else had crowded around. Some patted me on the back, while others showered me with compliments. Others were curious as to why I messed up so badly on that last shot. When I said it was because the sun was in my eyes, they took it as a joke and laughed. My face must be red with embarrassment.

"You must be another son of Apollo!" Will declared. "There's no other explanation! You're a born archer."

"Yeah, that's probably it." I said sheepishly. If only they knew it was the _other twin_.

"Apollo tends to claim his kids quickly," he said cheerfully. "You'll probably be moved to the Apollo cabin by the end of the week."

My face deadened. "C-Claimed? What do you mean by ' _Claimed_ '?"

"Oh? You haven't heard about that?" Will sounded surprised. "It's when your godly parent claims their children officially. That's how it is around here. Do you think we knew beforehand who our parents were automatically?"

"Oh…yeah, that makes sense." I replied quietly. Another guy walked out towards Luke and me, and judging from his appearance, he was most likely another son of Apollo.

"You know what Luke?" he said. "I think I'm ready to take up your offer." He gave me an amused glance, and said jokingly, "only because we don't want _this kid_ as our enemy." Luke looked delighted.

"You won't regret your decision, Lee." Luke said with assurance. The two shook hands on it, like they were sealing a pact.

"What are they talking about Will?" I asked.

He grinned, "they're talking about the game we're having in a few days."

"Game?"

He nodded. "Have you perhaps, ever heard of _Capture the Flag_?"

-o-


	8. Games and Training

It was only one more day till the game.

Everyone was getting ready. More people were going to the arena to practice swordsmanship. The archery range was being used more often, and the animosity between the opposing teams was higher than ever. The teams have already been set: Hermes, Apollo, Athena, and Dionysus cabins versus the cabins of Ares, Demeter, Hephaestus, and Aphrodite. I heard the game was a pretty big deal around here, which I found a bit silly. Based on what both Will and Luke had told me, it was in other words, a training exercise in the form of a competition. I knew it had benefits, but did they really need to go that far as to use actual weapons? I was sure wooden swords would have sufficed but no, they had to make it _seem like the real thing_.

I just hoped I didn't end up in the infirmary again.

If there was anything in this camp that I looked forward to, it was dinner at the pavilion. If I thought Ms. Lewinsky was a good cook, then the food here could cause her to get a run for her money. An assortment of fruit, main dishes, and desert were always present and passed out by the nymphs. Best of all, were the drinks. Anything I wanted, as long as it was nonalcoholic (but that rule only bugged Mr. D rather than the rest of us). Other than alcohol, I could have it. It was a dream come true for me.

Of course, before everyone was allowed to dig in, they had to sacrifice a portion to the gods, more specifically, their _godly parent_. For the week since I'd been here, I didn't sacrifice even a single portion to Artemis. Like who needed her anyway? It was bad enough that I was this 'tool' of hers that she _thought_ she could use at her leisure, there was no way she was getting a bite of my delicious meal. For a replacement, I often sacrificed it to Apollo. Besides the fact that nearly everyone thought he was my father (which he wasn't unfortunately), it was also my way of thanking him for providing me with companions. Ever since the archery incident, the Apollo cabin has been more than welcoming towards me. I got along with Will Solace quite quickly, along with the head counselor Lee Fletcher and the rest of his cabin. They even went as far as to get me some daily necessities from the camp store, and helped me out at some of the exercises and classes I had (which was definitely a huge favor). Besides Apollo, I also sacrificed some of my food to Hermes, simply for allowing me a free place to stay.

By the next morning, when everyone had finished cleaning up after eating, they went back to their cabins to get suited into their armor and gather weapons. The other day, Luke had taken me to the armory to get my own personal weapon. Since he already knew that I was an expert in archery, he gave me a selection of bows and arrows.

There were bows of different sizes, weight, height, and colors. Some were wooden, metallic, and a few were even made of ivory. I tried out most of the ones that Luke had deemed as efficient, but since he wasn't exactly an expert on archery, the bows that he picked out were too heavy, too light, or unsuitable for my taste, and there were still a lot more that I needed to try out.

Maybe I should just ask Will next time. For now, I was stuck with a decent enough bow.

Afterwards, Luke led me to the swords section, I raised an eyebrow.

"You'll need something for close combat," he said simply. "Just in case."

I scanned the rows of swords that were laid out. Some with long tip points, others with a thicker guard. I tried to look for the smallest sword they had, and it was sad to say that I had trouble to even lift _that_ up properly. Luke chuckled beside me and I was instantly embarrassed. I quickly scanned the other options, and my eyes landed on what I thought would suit me: a pair of twin daggers.

I walked my way towards the stand, and Luke turned to follow after me. His face filled with curiosity as he saw what had caught my attention. The two daggers were the color of ebony, long and slightly curved at the end, and lacking a hilt. I hesitantly reached down and lifted one of them up. They were light and smooth to the touch. I removed the case slightly and the metal was also stained black.

"Finally found something you like huh?" Luke's response snapped my attention from the dagger in my hands. I looked up at him with a slight hesitance.

"Yeah…is it alright though? This isn't like an heirloom or anything?"

"It's fine, it's fine," he said reassuringly. "If you think it's suitable, then it's yours."

"Really?" I said in wonder, as I gazed down at the daggers in my hands.

He nodded.

"Do they have a name?"

"Unfortunately no," Luke said. "When it was discovered, the original owner had died in combat, and the creator was unknown. So there was no way to ever find out what their names were."

_Nameless and unknown huh?_ I thought. S _uits me just fine._ I settled the two into my belt holster as Luke and I left the armory.

At last, the moment we have all been waiting for…

"HEROES!" Chiron shouted over the crowd. "You all know the rules! Or at least most of you," he quickly added when he saw me. "Creek is the boundary line. The entire forest is open and any use of weapons and magical items are permitted. Banners must be displayed prominently, and at the very most, guarded only by two persons. Prisoners may not be bound, gagged, or harmed for no reason, and absolutely no killing or maiming is allowed!"

That made me feel _so_ much better _._

Chiron continued, "I will be the referee and medic. Now arm yourselves!" He spread his arms out, and suddenly a whole table of armor and weapons appeared. Everyone charged forward to get them. The only thing I managed to get was a leather jacket heavy laden with metal shoulder pads and a pair of leather gloves with small metallic spikes. This could be useful.

Everyone was required to wear a helmet. Our team was blue, while the other team was red. Everyone on my team started to march towards the forest area. Will was beside me, probably to look out for me since I was new. When we reached the middle of the forest, he placed a hand on my shoulder.

"We will be taking over this place," Will smirked. "Try looking for a good position." With a light pat on my shoulder, he took off to one of the trees.

I looked around in the shadowed clearing as the Apollo campers scrambled about, notching their arrows to the ready. Traps were being set and orders were being given out. I spotted a maple tree that had the perfect view of the forest entrance. I quickly climbed up and claimed it before anyone else does. At least 20 feet above ground, I would be able to see the enemy before they saw me. I laid back with both hands behind my head, and waited.

Night fell.

I was startled awake when the conch horn sounded, signifying the start of the game. At a distance, torches could be seen, all of them grouped together and on the prowl. Leaves shifted as a wind blew pass them, and my companions' notching of arrows could be heard. We were all ready.

Five of them approached first, and judging by their height and build, they were definitely sons of Ares. They came about cautiously, holding shields up in defense, their swords up. By the time they reached the clearing, one of us let out a battle cry, launching an arrow that was later followed by many. Arrows penetrated their shields and armor and cries of anguish was heard clearly in the night when a few of them pierced flesh. The rest of their party charged forward, and all too quickly, the scene turned into a battleground. I fired alongside my allies, making sure I had a clear shot before releasing it. Some of the Apollo campers joined the chaos, and were fighting against their respective opponents. Will was handling himself against two Ares Campers. I quickly aimed my arrow towards one of them, and it hit his lower arm. Distracted by the pain, Will easily took him down with a nod of thanks in my direction. I continued my relentless firing until I felt something tighten around my waist. I looked down and saw a freshly grown vine.

_What the_ … was my only thought before I was suddenly flown across 15 feet away from my spot, screaming all the way. During the assault, I had carelessly let go of my bow as I tried to desperately reach my daggers as passing branches scratched at my face, arms, and legs. Once I had a firm grip, I swung them around hard until I slashed the cursed vine off my waist. Turns out that was a bad idea, when I plummeted to the ground rapidly, sporting new bruises on my side and arm.

I stood up painfully, and now I came to regret it repetitively as to why I decided to come out of the hospital so early. I narrowed my eyes dangerously as I sought out my attacker. Both daggers out and on the offensive, a slight rustling occurred on my left, and I turned quickly, only to fall flat on my face when my foot tripped over a protruding tree root. I groaned a bit loudly, and when I looked behind me, I saw the tree root mysteriously shift back into the earth.

"Show yourself!" I shouted as I got back up on my feet. I swerved to the right when another thick vine came at me and managed to slap me on the face. I was appalled.

"Well aren't you cowardly?" I sneered as I darted my eyes quickly to survey my surroundings. "Using these cheap tactics won't work for long…" I paused as I heard breathing behind me, I stepped back slowly, "…because they can always be outsmarted!" I turned around rapidly. My dagger clanged against another, and I finally had a good look at my opponent-

And it was a _girl_.

Definitely not what I was expecting, no offense.

The girl was slightly taller than me, with dark green eyes and golden brown hair that was tied back in a half ponytail. Her eyes had a determined look about them, and I narrowed mine in response.

"Not bad, newbie," she said a little arrogantly with a small smirk. "You managed to figure out my hiding spot." I smirked back at her.

"Maybe if you toned down your breathing I wouldn't have caught you that easily," I said as each of us stepped back and circled the other. "I'm Seth Hunter, and you?"

"Clare Evergreen," she replied, "daughter of Demeter." Twirling her short pair of daggers like it was second nature, she suddenly lunged at me.

I sidestepped her attack and brought forth both of them in a cross in order to hold both weapons back. I tried to aim a slash at her side but she easily parried it with one hand and used her other dagger to attack. I raised my other dagger up in defense. With both of my hands preoccupied, Clare aimed a direct kick to my stomach. I stumbled back down immediately, and when I tried to get up, her dagger was dangerously close to my throat.

"Looks like I win," she said tauntingly with a smile as I glared up at her. "I'll have to take you back to our base."

"So I'm your prisoner now?" I mumbled sarcastically.

"Pretty much," she removed the dagger away from my neck and offered up a hand instead. "Come on now, I don't have all night." Just as I got up however, the conch horn sounded. Both of us turned our attention towards it.

"Looks like one of our teams won." she muttered. She sheathed her weapons. "I wonder which one though…" she pondered, giving me a glance. I shrugged.

"Doesn't really matter to me," I said. "If you win, you win. If not, better luck next time." she nodded slightly at my response.

"Yeah, I suppose so," she said with a smile. "You know, you're not that bad. For a beginner, you sure handled those daggers pretty well."

"I could say the same to you," I said, wincing inwardly a bit as I walked. "How long have you practiced with those? You handled them like an expert."

"I say around 3 or so years," she said as we joined up with the others. "I hope you don't have a grudge against me for beating you up like that."

"I'm fine," I said quickly, "but if you're that worried…could you possibly teach me how to handle them like that?" She had a startled look for a moment before a grin etched across her face.

"You want _me_ to teach you?" she said incredulously, her finger pointing at herself for emphasis. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, unless you don't want to…"

"No, no, it's not that, it's just…no one's ever asked me to teach them anything before. I'm in shock." she laughed.

"So is that a yes?" I said hesitantly.

She nodded. "When do you want to start?"

"How about…as soon as you're able to?"

"Deal." she said, putting out a hand. I took it. "You're interesting, Seth. It was nice meeting you." Then, she walked away to join her team mates. I was alone for a moment before Will bounded up to me, his cheery expression told me all I needed to know.

"WE WON!" he shouted in a jubilee, as our other team mates also came and joined the cheering spree, and the cheering got louder when I joined in.

-0-

The next day, everyone was dead tired.

After our victory in Capture the Flag, everyone on our team stayed up late partying. At least that was how it was at Cabin 11. It was impossible to even get an ounce of sleep when everywhere around you was noise and blasting music. It eventually died down a bit when it was time for lights out, but with my sharp hearing, the whispers and chitter chatters that followed wasn't any better.

I attended classes as usual. I managed to locate the bow that I had dropped, and thank the gods it didn't break during the fall. Archery of course, being my specialty, was my favorite class. My least favorite, surprisingly, was canoeing. Not that I was bad with the paddle, but I seemed to have developed a motion of seasickness whenever I was aloft on the water for a certain period of time. The naiads sure didn't like me that much for vomiting into their habitat.

After having lunch at the pavilion, I met up with Clare down at the arena. When I saw her up close, I noticed that she didn't have her daggers with her.

"For our first session, I'm going to teach you some close combat moves," she replied, and before I said anything she intercepted, "the reason for that is because it gives you the edge over your opponent. Like what I did with you back then. Whenever both of your hands are occupied, you leave yourself defenseless. So to avoid that, it's best if you had decent combat training."

"But don't I already get combat training in my classes?" I asked.

"Yes, but you also need to learn how to adapt while holding weapons in both hands. Sure I am not as good as one of the Ares campers, but I doubt that the class teaches you fully on what to do when you're in that sort of scenario."

"I guess that's reasonable." I concluded as I moved in front of her, "So show me what I should I do."

"Okay…let me see if I could get this right," she mumbled as she positioned herself a foot away from me, "Put both of your arms up." she ordered.

I did so.

"We're going to repeat the move that happened last night," she said. She also raised both of her hands. "Now grab my wrists."

"Um…like this?" I asked as I held both her wrist in my hands. With her face just an inch away, I couldn't help but feel a bit awkward. She nodded.

"Now pretend our hands are our daggers," Clare said as she stared right at me. "Attack me."

"W-what?"

"Attack me," she repeated. "Don't worry. You _won't_ hurt me."

I narrowed my eyes at her words. Seeing as how she looked certain, I imitated what she did to me: a direct kick to her stomach. She pushed one of her hands forward as she shifted to the left quickly to dodge my attack, and just as quick, aimed a kick at the lower calf of my other leg. I released her hands as I fell backward. She offered a hand to help me up and I took it.

"You alright?" she questioned.

"Please warn me next time when you try something like _that._ " She shrugged.

"I will during our next few practice sessions, but keep in mind that in an actual fight, your opponent won't give you a heads up."

"I'll remember that." I said. "So is that how you would do it? That move I mean."

"It's one of them, but there are many other ways. I plan to teach you most of them during this session. Let's just hope you can _keep up_."

-0-

After an hour or so, I was exhausted yet exhilarated at the same time. I managed to learn more fighting tips in this one session than I had the whole week I'd been here. I really owed her big time. I didn't think she would hold her end of the deal on training a newbie. I mastered a few of the moves here and there, and Clare would counter. I tried memorizing her counterattacks, but I soon lost track afterwards. Whenever I failed to land a hit on her or do a move correctly, I would persist on repeating it again and again until I got it right. When Clare said it was already an hour, I was startled for a moment.

"Thanks a lot for the extra training." I said while panting slightly. Beads of sweat trailed down the side of my face. My dark auburn hair was drenched.

"No problem. This is actually pretty new to me too." She gave a light laugh. "My first student."

"Well I'm glad I gave you the experience, _Ms. Evergreen_." I said in a mock salute.

"Oh stop it," she said jokingly. "You're making me sound old."

"But you are older than me aren't you?"

"I just turned 15," she said, "and you're around 12, 13?"

"I'm 13," I grabbed a towel from the side.

"Then there you go. I'm only around two years older than you. That's not much."

"Whatever. So will I train with you tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow? Aren't you tired?" Clare said, slightly stunned.

"Sure I am, but I'll be up and ready by tomorrow. What?" I said when she continued to just stare at me.

"Nothing. I just find your endurance very…well-rounded." she murmured. "By the time I'm through with you, you'll probably be 100% prepared and ready for a Quest or something." She walked past me and grabbed a towel of her own.

"Oh…what's a Quest?" I asked suddenly. She turned around and looked at me in disbelief.

"You don't know what a Quest is? Has no one told you?"

"The topic was never brought up I guess." I said sheepishly.

"Well basically, a quest is like the ones in the stories…you read about them right?"

"Like the _Odyssey_?"

"Yes, it's just like that around here, whenever the gods have a task they need to have completed, they would give out a quest, preferably to their children. It's a chance for a demigod to prove themselves to the camp and to their godly parent. When a demigod receives a quest, he or she is allowed to take two companions along as help."

"So it's like an honorary thing right? Do they give them out often?" I questioned.

"Yes to your first question, as for your second…" she trailed off. "You know…Luke right?"

"Yeah, he's my counselor. What about him?" I wondered why she changed the topic.

"Don't tell him I told you this but, the last quest that we had around here-nearly a year ago-it was Luke's. But something went terribly wrong during his quest, and his turned out to be a failure. You notice that scar he has on the side of his face?" she was whispering now.

I nodded.

"That was when he got it: courtesy of the dragon from the Garden of the Hesperides."

"T-that's awful." I said, "Is he still bitter about that?" _If I were him,_ _I know I would._

"He's a lot better now, but it's still best if you don't bring it up." I nodded in response. "Since then, Chiron has put a stop to the quests. He didn't want anyone else to end up the same way Luke's did. So to answer your second question, there are no longer any Quests."

"Oh." I tried not to let my disappointment show but it was obvious. I had thought…just maybe if I got on a Quest...

"You sound disappointed." Clare said, already done with drying herself off.

"You could say that." I muttered, not hiding it.

"Don't worry about it," Clare said, "Rumors are-you know that blonde girl, Annabeth Chase?"

How could I forget? She looked as if she wanted to kill me. I only nodded.

"Rumors are, she's waiting for this _special demigod_ to arrive at camp. It's said that when he or she arrives, Quests will be coming in like delayed mail. Apparently, she got Chiron to tell her something when she was having this massive argument about wanting to go on one."

"Do you believe it?" I asked her. "The rumors?"

"Maybe, maybe not," she said simply. "We'll just have to wait and see."

-0-

For the rest of the day, I attended the rest of my classes, had dinner, and later on, attended my first camp fire. Even with the cheerful camp song and marshmallows, the presence of the fire made my mood turn sour. When the camp fire ended, my mind wandered to Quests.

If what Clare said was true, that the quests were just like the ones in the stories with a modern twist, then a single quest can change a person's life. More specifically, a person's _fate_. Just look at what happened to Luke's, of course, his changed in a negative way, but his life was altered nonetheless. I just had to get on a quest somehow. I just had to.

That was how I found my way to Chiron's office. If Annabeth was able to get something out of him, then I can too.

I knocked on the door lightly, and waited. Everyone else was returning to their cabins to get some sleep. The night was pitch black with a few constellations sketched across the vast expanse. The moon was also present, but I paid it no mind as the door opened, revealing Chiron in his wheelchair.

"Seth," he said, surprised. "What brings you here? Not any troubles I hope?"

"Not really," I said, "um, can I come inside?"

"Oh! Where are my manners! Of course, come right in!" He said. He wheeled his chair backward to allow me to enter. His office was just like the classroom he had at Yancy, only with no empty desks. He settled himself behind his own desk as I sat on one of the wooden chairs in front of it.

"So tell me what brings you here?" he said kindly.

Without preamble, I went straight to the topic. "I want to go on a Quest."

His face fell. "Seth…you do understand what you are asking?"

I nodded. "Of course. I wouldn't be here if I didn't."

"Then you must also know that Quests are no longer permitted."

"I'm aware of that, but I also have an idea of what you told Annabeth Chase."

Chiron was silent for a moment, and then he cleared his throat and said in low whisper. "What I have told Annabeth is in regards to her future. Who informed you of this?"

Not wanting to expose Clare, I lied. "It's been around. Rumors."

"Then please do not take these rumors seriously," he said. "How much do you know?"

"Nothing much…just that there will be a 'special demigod' that will arrive at camp, and once he or she arrives, Quests will be coming back." I repeated what Clare told me earlier, "Look, I don't care what you told Annabeth, I only care about whether or not Quests will return or not."

After a moment has elapsed, Chiron sighed. "It is a possibility. But it is unknown when this demigod will arrive. It may be this year, or the next, or even ten years from now."

I let out the breath that I didn't know I was holding. "The time isn't important, as long as quests will be coming back, that is all that matters."

_At least I have some hope._

Chiron looked up at me curiously. "Why do quests suddenly interest you so much Seth?"

I didn't say anything for a moment, and then I looked at him and declared:

"I want a chance to _control my own fate_." When he didn't look too surprised, I ventured in further. "You…already know who my godly parent is, don't you Chiron?" If he was shocked by my statement, he didn't show it. "You _must_ understand why I'm asking for this."

"As much as you would want to be on a quest, it is really not up to me," he said gravely, "your godly parent has to chose you or provide you a sign, and you are still not yet ready to participate in such a dangerous task."

"Then I'll train! I'll train harder than everyone else! If that's all there is to it-!"

"I don't think you understand the peril, Seth," Chiron interrupted, "not every demigod comes back alive from a Quest."

There was a moment of silence as I tried to take all that in.

"Then so be it." I said as I turned to leave. "Thanks for having me tonight."

Without looking back, I exited out of his office.

-o-

Months passed.

Grover has left for Yancy Academy, saying how he couldn't leave a job half finished. New demigods arrived, and I kept an eye out for them, secretly analyzing anything 'special' about them, any hint that any of them was the demigod that Annabeth and I were waiting for, but nothing stuck out.

I continued my training with Clare, and after a few months of hard, rigorous effort, I was nearly on par with her dagger and combat skills. Nowadays, we would sometimes have sparing matches. Only this time we fought almost as equals.

There was also the trouble of dealing with the gossips of why I wasn't claimed yet. Many were starting to think that Apollo may not be my godly parent after all, because like Will said, he tended to claim his kids early, and it has already been months.

Regardless of what I had said earlier, I was starting to lose hope. If it really was going to take years for this demigod to arrive, then I saw no reason as to why I should continue to train twice as hard, but just when I was on the verge of giving up, _he arrived..._

A demigod by the name of Percy Jackson.

-o-


	9. The Newcomer

The day he arrived was a day like any other.

It was normal, the 'nothing out of the ordinary' kind of day. Besides the occasional thunder storms that we were having a lot of recently, and the sudden increase of campers for the past couple of weeks, there was absolutely nothing special about it.

It's strange how fate worked, attacking when you least expected it.

I met a lot of new campers lately, including the infamous Stoll brothers, Travis and Conner, who claimed they 'have at last returned from a journey of pillaging and picking pockets'. They were decent enough people, being the sons of Hermes, but now I had to double check my pockets and things to make sure nothing was stolen. Like that one time, they stole one of my arrows and decided to use it to stick a love letter on the door of the Aphrodite cabin, claiming it was the work of Cupid. Apparently, some of the Aphrodite campers were actually dumb enough to believe it, so I had a hard time getting their so called relic back. It was beyond embarrassing.

There were also campers that I steered clear of-one of them being Clarisse, daughter of Ares. She was a year-rounder so she must have known I wasn't a newbie by now. But the moment she saw me after I was done with target practice, she decided to single me out and call out her two buddies, saying how they had delayed my ' _welcoming ceremony'_ due to my injuries from before. I knew all too well what that meant. So by the time she turned around, I was nowhere in sight, hiding behind the climbing wall until the danger has passed. I was confident in my abilities, but even I knew that they would never take me on one person at a time, so my chances of winning against three half-trolls were very slim. That, and because I didn't want to pick fights.

It was almost the end of the day. Clare and I were having one of our spares when suddenly, the conch horn blew at the Big House, signifying help or an emergency. We looked at each other for a moment before running towards the building. Many campers followed soon after. By the time I was at a good viewing distance, I ran even faster when I saw what had occurred:

Grover was unconscious, along with some other demigod.

Chiron and Annabeth were already beside the newcomer, so he was in good hands. It was Grover that I was concerned about. After months of not seeing him and then turning up like this, I didn't know what to think.

Grover was moaning out incoherent words when I knelt down beside him. I tried holding him up with his arm over my neck, and as I headed inside the Big House, everyone else parted ways for me. I couldn't help but hear the commotion of what the others were saying:

"Did you see that?" a girl whispered. "He actually fought the Minotaur and won!"

"Yeah right," her companion said beside her. "He probably got help."

"I say it was luck." said another.

I closed the door behind me, silencing the conversation out. I laid Grover down on one of the beds, and alerted a daughter of Apollo to treat him. When I got back outside, Clare was walking towards me, her expression confused and worried.

"Did you hear what happened?" she questioned me. I shrugged.

"Not really…although I did hear gossip about how the new guy beat the Minotaur."

" _Di immortales!_ " she exclaimed. "Could that really be true?"

"I'm not sure. Only Grover knows, but he needs rest and care at the moment." I rubbed my temple slightly, clearly distressed. Clare placed a hand on my shoulder, I looked up at her.

"Don't worry about Grover, Seth," she said, "I'm sure he'll be all right."

I nodded. "Yeah."

-0-

It had only been a few days since the new kid arrived, and news of him fighting the Minotaur spread like wild fire. I learned that the kid was Percy Jackson, the demigod that Grover mentioned a few times before. The story of his 'epic battle' has also been morphed into different variations. One version said that he fought the beast with his bare hands. Another said that it was because he got out of the way fast enough, and only happened to be lucky in being able to give the death blow.

When I got the real story from Grover, who finally woke up thankfully, he told me his account of what happened. I believed him, seeing how he was there and saw the whole thing. I was impressed. Not many demigods were able to accomplish such task when they were that inexperienced.

When I asked about what he was like, Grover pretty much gave a whole life story of his times with him: where they met, what they did, and all that. Turned out that Grover was often bullied at school, and this Percy would always try to 'save the day'.

"Is he…a good friend?" I asked.

Grover nodded while smiling. "The best that anyone could ever wish for, and the best thing about him, is that Percy would never let down anyone he cares about." Then, he faltered. "Let them down…" And there he went again, I had to try to boost up his spirits for the next half hour.

By the time I left, I was thinking:

This guy may just be the demigod I was waiting for. He seemed an okay sort of guy, according to Grover, and I never once heard Chiron complain about him, so I supposed that had to mean something.

But I didn't want to get my hopes up. After all, maybe this Percy guy may have just been lucky.

I went back to the arena after I completed my morning classes. I have been coming to this arena ever since the day Clare decided to train me. I never once had a break, and it was because of that fact that Chiron, on that particular day, decided to approach me. He told me that I needed rest, that it wasn't healthy for any demigod to continuously work themselves that hard. When I protested, he instead told me that I was needed elsewhere-playing the babysitter at the Big House infirmary. Annabeth needed to get back to her own classes, he had said, so he suggested that I took over her role in taking care of the patient.

In other words, Chiron was cutting me some slack.

So I begrudgingly agreed, seeing as I had no other choice. I made my way to the Big House. When I got to the door, I coincidentally eavesdropped on Annabeth and Percy's conversation.

"What will happen at the summer solstice?" Annabeth had asked in an urgent tone. Percy said something that I couldn't make out. Annabeth asked again, "What's going on? What was stolen? We've only got a few weeks!" I widened my eyes at that, I wanted to hear the rest, but I suddenly remembered what I was here for. I knocked lightly on the door to warn them of my arrival. Annabeth opened the door. Seeing it was me, she narrowed her eyes slightly, as if she could tell that I'd eavesdropped on their conversation.

"What are you doing here?" she said, suspicious.

"Chiron wants me to take over your shift," I stated calmly, looking at her without flinching, "He said you shouldn't miss out your classes too much, and seeing as I had time…he decided to call me."

She didn't say anything for a moment, and after finally making up her mind that I was telling her the truth, she nodded. "Fine." She turned back and after getting her things, she left. Annabeth and I didn't talk that much. We were at most, acquaintances. She had her duties and I had mine so our paths never really crossed. The only time we even spoke with each other was when we thought up some game strategies.

After Annabeth left, it was just me and Minotaur guy. I settled myself on the chair that Annabeth was in, and seeing as how I had nothing to do, I just stared at Percy as he fidgeted in his sleep.

He looked to be about my height when I arrived at camp in the beginning of the year, so he was slightly shorter than my 5 foot 3. He had messy black hair, and his skin was lightly toned. Not tan or pale, just normally light. He didn't have any bandages that I could see, so his condition was probably not too severe. Noticing the half bowl of unfinished ambrosia and nectar by his bedside, I deduced that Annabeth must have been force feeding him. With the care he's given, I say he would be out of here after another two days at the latest.

He shifted in his sleep again, but didn't say anything. He may have opened his eyes a little, but I didn't notice. He just laid there all quiet, not saying a single word.

This was going to be a long _boring_ afternoon.

-o-

An hour later, Percy jolted awake.

He looked around his surroundings somewhat frantically in his 'half-awake' mode. Seeing how I was here, he decided to make some conversation:

"Who are you?" he managed to croak out. "Where am I?"

I couldn't help but roll my eyes, so this was what Grover meant. "You're inside the Big House- our infirmary around here." I told him. "You were unconscious, remember?"

Percy blinked twice as he tried to register what I just said. Then, he looked up at me, his light green eyes wide with anxiety. "Then, can you tell me…my mom…is she…" his voice trailed as sleep threatened to take over.

I raised an eyebrow. "Your mom? Did something happen to her?" I didn't get an answer, seeing as how Percy was unconscious yet again.

So I sat there in silence for the remainder of my shift, the clock's loud ticking on the other side of the wall was starting to get on my nerves. I should be out there training, not inside doing nothing and wasting my life away like this. I got up and stretched, walked back and forth between both ends of the room to keep my blood flowing. I stopped suddenly when I noticed Argus passing by. I got outside quickly, and called out to him. When I got his attention, I decided to ask him for a favor.

"Do you mind if you could watch Percy for me?" I asked. Argus gave questionable l _ooks_. I was trying hard not to appear squeamish. "I've already been in there for at least 2 hours, and I think I should _really_ be getting back to the rest of my classes, but I couldn't just leave him."

Otherwise, Chiron would find out I was slacking off on my job.

"So seeing as you're available, I thought maybe you could look after him?" I said, and then I added quickly, "please? It won't be that long."

Argus nodded, and I smiled.

"Alright, thanks a lot!" I said happily, as I finally left that place for good. Blame it on my claustrophobia, but I really can't stand being indoors for too long. I needed the fresh air.

I quickly went inside Cabin 11, grabbed my archery equipment, and went down to the archery range. My mind and body needed some nice concentrated target practice.

-o-

Clare found me after dinner.

"Where were you?" she demanded. "I thought you were at the Big House, but when I checked, only Argus was there."

"Oh about that. I told Argus to fill in for me." I said absentmindedly.

"But isn't that supposed to be _your_ job?" she accused.

"It isn't supposed to be anyone's job _specifically_ ," I said rather annoyed, "I'm sure Chiron would have been fine with it as long as someone's there."

"That's not the point!" Clare protested. "Chiron assigned that job to you so _you can gain some rest_ \- which you are obviously not doing. "

I slapped my hand to my forehand, and groaned, "oh gods, not you too."

" _You need rest_." Clare emphasized. "Didn't you even noticed? You have been going to all of your classes continuously ever since you came. Adding on to that, you never took a break from my training, and this happened _every single day_. And whenever you did have any free time, you would always go and practice your archery for _hours_."

"Well, excuse me for wanting to improve!" I snapped. "What are you, _my mother_?"

"No, I'm your _friend_." she replied back. "So get it in through that thick skull of yours-even the best training will do you no good if you have bad health." Then she stomped away angrily, literally leaving me in the dust.

"But I do get rest," I muttered to no one in particular, "when I'm asleep."

-o-

The next morning, I decided to take a little stroll through the woods.

The reason for this was _not_ because I decided to heed Clare's words from last night. In fact, I still think her reasoning was ridiculous, I really didn't feel tired at all. As long as I got a good night's sleep, I didn't need any breaks during the day. I didn't get her.

Something else bothered me, she actually called me _her friend._ She didn't even know me, not the real me anyway, or who my godly parent was either. Yet, she actually called me her friend when I couldn't say the same for her. She was at most, a companion, a comrade. Maybe a partner when it came to Capture the Flag, but not a friend. That made me feel guilty, but I couldn't help it. I had been tricked once before, and I wasn't letting that happen to me again. Grover was different though. First of all, he wasn't a demigod, a deity, nor was he human. He's a satyr, and for some reason, I decided to give satyrs a chance.

As for my real reason-No, the reason wasn't Clare's suggestion-it was quite the opposite actually, and if Chiron knew about this, he'd have my hide for sure.

It was because the woods were currently booby-trapped. All in preparation for Friday's Capture the Flag.

The Apollo and Hermes campers had gone ahead and added their devices and traps. Any miscalculated step, I could end up dead. Despite the risks, this was the best practice out there for me, for what exercise out there was better for training your instincts? You got it-none. So far, I have already dodged a snarl trap, two arrow contraptions, and another one that involved dropping an immobilizing net. I wondered who came up with that last one?

Besides, I was almost done with this exercise anyway. I was getting closer to the edge of the woods now, so the contraptions should be easier to notice and dodge. I heard a snap from my left as I felt my leg touch string. I quickly leaned backward, and three arrows zoomed past right above me. This trap apparently triggered another response, and I had to do a backwards flip as a spear flashed by from behind. I ran quickly, dodging this and that, as I saw the other end of the clearing. There were logs clashing back and forth like pendulums. I watched the pattern for a moment, and then I did a forward tumble on the ground to slip past the first. The second was at a low point. So as it went past, I simply jumped on top it, struggling to maintain my balanced as it continued to swing at a steady pace. When the third and last log came up, I grabbed a hold of it with both hands, and when I released my hold, I did a quick forward flip in the air and landed solidly on both feet.

_Mission accomplished._ I thought, smiling briefly.

"I see you have been enjoying yourself, Seth." a stern voice caused me to suddenly look up, seeing Chiron staring at me a few feet away with Percy standing beside him. "Although, I really must question your type of entertainment."

_Caught red-handed, dang it._ I smiled hesitantly.

"Good morning Chiron," I greeted, walking towards them. "Hey Percy, I see you're doing better."

"Oh, yeah. I'm a lot better, thanks." he said quietly, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

"As I was saying," Chiron said, "the woods are stocked, meaning they are armed with numerous traps and devices. If you dare try and venture it, _always_ go armed." I believed he was saying that to me more than he was to Percy.

"Sorry Chiron, I'll try to remember that." I said. Chiron nodded curtly, his eyes stern-meaning he still hadn't let me off the hook.

"Since you seem to have so much time on your hands Mr. Hunter…" There it goes again.

"…how about you help Percy get acquainted with camp?" I mentally sighed with relief. I thought he wanted me to do more babysitting, since _someone_ apparently told him I slacked off.

"I suppose I can, if he doesn't mind of course." I said, looking at Percy.

He shook his head. "I don't mind."

Chiron smiled. "Then I must be going. I must prepare for my mastery's archery class at noon, and Seth-"

I looked up at him.

"Do get some rest. You are excused on temporary leave for all of your classes today." With that, he trotted away before I had a chance to protest.

"Okay then," I said awkwardly, not knowing where to start. "As you probably got from Chiron's exchange of conversation with me, I'm Seth Hunter. It's nice to finally meet you officially."

"Yeah, I'm Percy Jackson…nice meeting you too." Percy said, and then he asked eagerly, "how did you manage to do that? Getting past those stocks?"

"Months of practice," I said simply. "How long were you both watching?"

"When you were trying to dodge a spear." I raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Dang…I must have been really preoccupied to not have noticed you guys," I started. "Chiron's going to get back at me for sure now."

"It can't be that bad." he tried reassuring me. I just gave a slight shake of my head.

"Trust me, it will. I do hope he decides to let it go." I said, "but enough about me. Have you by any chance seen the arena or archery range yet?"

He shook his head. "I haven't really seen anything at all actually." I smiled.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure you see the entire camp before dinner."

-o-

For the next hour and a half, I gave Percy a tour of the archery range, the arena, the stables, and the canoeing lake. He asked some questions about what the camp activities there were and all that, and I tried my best to inform him the best I could. We arrived at the pavilion when Percy asked a rather weird question.

"What do you do if it rains?" he asked.

"You mean when we're about to eat?" He nodded. "We don't need to worry about that. The camp has a natural defense around it. Besides monsters, unwanted weather is also part of the package."

"Oh." He seemed to be in deep thought, and then he looked up at me with curiosity. "Say…do you know Grover?"

"I do," I said. "Why?"

"He mentioned someone…before…someone who helped him get some license or something-was that you?" he asked.

I was a little taken aback. "I…he mentioned me?"

"Sort of," he said. "He visited me when I finally woke up you see, he was a little down at first for 'somehow failing' his assignment, but then he said how he met someone that goes by your name. I was wondering if he was referring to you, turned out he was."

"I wasn't expecting that." I mumbled, then I looked at him with a smile. "You know, he also mentioned you a couple of times too."

"Really? Not anything bad, right?" Percy asked.

"Nothing like that, he just said how you're a great friend to him." He was startled before he grinned, obviously pleased with the compliment. We were soon approaching the cabins.

I led him according to their order, gazing at Cabins 1 and 2 at the front, and then taking him to the evens side first. When he stopped at Cabin 3, however, he seemed to have lingered a bit, sort of like how I was during my first day. I narrowed my eyes from behind him, as I watched him slowly stepped forward and placed a light touch to the coral-like walls.

_Could it be…?_ As soon as he caught me looking at him, he quickly backed away, and we continued the rest of our tour. It was probably a coincidence, I thought, every kid was curious on their first day. Plus, that cabin was Poseidon's. I was informed months ago that he was supposed to be following this pact of having no kids. So there was no possibility.

I was probably too eager of finding anything special about him.

I broke away from my pondering thoughts, when Percy spoke out to me:

"So why am I at this camp?" he asked. "What is so special about this place?" It occurred to me that he didn't even know about his heritage.

"This camp… _Camp Half Blood_ ," I started out slowly, "is a place where all the kids here have something in common." Percy raised an eyebrow.

"Something in common…like what?" Percy asked slowly, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"I think you already know." I said, meeting his gaze. "Think about it: we have a battle arena, an armory. Plus, you already met Mr. D right?" he nodded.

"I didn't really like him that much." he said.

I agreed. "No one does, and what do these cabins remind you of?"

Realization slowly etched across his face. "They look like something out of my Greek textbook."

"And?"

"But…what does that have to do with us?" This kid was still not getting it, or he had trouble believing it.

"You know those stories in the myths? Where the gods will sometimes come to earth and have affairs with mortals?" He nodded slowly, trying to understand what I was getting at. "Those children…are deemed as _half bloods_."

"So you're saying…we're actually _half-bloods?_ " he said in disbelief.

"Demigods," I corrected. "That's the term we use around here. It's hard to believe I know, but it's true."

"Then my dad…all those times when he wasn't around…he's actually _a god_?" Percy stared at me with wide eyes, with an indication that looked like: _I don't believe this_.

"Then who's my dad?" he asked eagerly.

"That's what we're here to find out. You see, no one knows their parent until they actually claim them. So for now, you're an undetermined."

"How long will I have to wait to get claimed?"

I looked at him sadly. "No one knows that either. The gods are busy. They don't always have time for us. Some gods, like Apollo for instance, claim their kids faster than others. Depending on who your parent is, the time varies."

"Oh…who's your parent?" he asked. I inwardly flinched.

"Believe it or not, I still haven't been officially claimed yet either." I said quietly. He widened his eyes at that.

" _What?_ So how long have you…" Percy faltered, as if he was afraid he would offend me.

"It's been around 6 months since I arrived. So I guess I'm still considered pretty new at camp too." Seeing as how he was looking down, I decided to cheer him up. "Hey, don't worry though, I'm sure any parent would be glad to claim you as their son."

"What makes you so sure of that?" he mumbled quietly.

"Well, if what Grover says about you is true, I have no doubts you will be claimed quicker than you think." He seemed to lighten up after I said that.

"Then what about you? You seem like a pretty decent guy." I didn't mean to suddenly frown at that, when he suddenly regretted his words, "unless…you don't feel like talking about it."

"Mine is a different case. You see, my… _parent_ and I are right now, _not_ on good terms." I said solemnly.

Percy was surprised. "You already know who your parent is?"

"Yeah."

"Is that why your parent doesn't claim you?"

I had to think about that for a moment. Why did Artemis not bother in claiming me? But then I realized that was a stupid question. It's obviously to keep up her ' _maiden'_ title. Sure the gods already knew about me, but the camp…not so much.

"I'm sure she has her reasons." I concluded.

"Your mom's a goddess?" he asked.

_Oh shit_ , I cursed. I did _not_ mean to give that away. If Percy decided to babble this to someone, even Grover, it wouldn't take long for someone to put two and two together unless…

"Do you mind if you don't mention that fact to anyone?" He looked at me questionably. "I rather…keep it a surprise until she does decide to claim me."

"Um, alright. Don't want to spoil your surprise." he said. And there you go, problem solved.

"Thanks a lot," I said with a smile. "Come on, I'm going to get you introduced to Cabin 11-it's where you'll be staying for now."

"For now?"

"Until your parent claims you. Unless your father turns out to be Hermes." I said, as we headed there this instant, and Percy followed right behind me

And that was when Clarisse decided to show up with her troupe. I narrowed my eyes when the 3 towering figures block our way to Cabin 11.

" _Clarisse_ …What do you want?" I snarled, glaring at all 3 of them. This couldn't be good.

"Shut your trap, wuss." one of Ares' sons said to me.

"We're not here for you this time, Hunter," Clarisse said as she stared down at me and Percy. "We heard there was a newbie, and thought we welcome him with our own _initiation ceremony_."

Initiation ceremony my ass.

"Don't you guys have anything better to do?" I snapped. "You guys are like a bunch of-!"

"It's alright Seth," Percy spoke up. He was trying to sound confident, but I could tell his voice was a little shaky. "I can handle this on my own." I stared at him in disbelief while Clarisse gave a grin.

"Looks like this one has a backbone-I like it." she stated, her eyes having a malicious tint to them as Percy stood in front of me, his arms out as if ready to fight. But Clarisse's two cronies already had him under lock and key, and when I tried to step in, Clarisse gave me _that look_ :

"You interfere- _you're next_." she promised me with a sneer. So I hesitated, I definitely do not want my head ducked in a toilet any time soon. So as they reached the bathrooms, I inevitably stood by, and watched at the entrance.

That was when the strangest thing happened.

Just as Clarisse was helping her friends duck Percy's head in-the pipes exploded. Dirty toilet water and tap water alike started squirting everywhere-all the sinks, the toilets, and all the pipes just blew up at the same time. Clarisse and her friends were being splashed and were swimming around in the water helpless. The sight would have got me laughing hysterically when I noticed too late the impending wave of toilet water heading towards me.

_Damn it!_ I thought frantically as I too was swallowed up in the flood, causing me and the Ares campers to be swooped up and out of the bathroom in seconds. When it eventually died down, I was on my knees, desperately trying to choke out any toilet water that I swallowed accidentally, I looked up to see if Percy was alright. When my eyes finally located him, I was shocked:

He was curled up in one corner of the bathroom… _completely dried!_ Not a drop of water in his hair, his clothes, and even the small area around him. I stared at him in astonishment as he stared back at me awkwardly as he got up.

Clarisse eventually came to, and as she struggled to stand up in her drenched clothes, her face was so filled with rage that her entire face was literally dark red.

"You are dead new boy!" she screeched. "You are totally dead!"

"You want to gargle with more toilet water again, Clarisse?" Percy boldly called out. " _Close your mouth_." I looked behind me to see if Clarisse was going to ambush him. Instead, she retreated along with her siblings. Each of them gave Percy death glares.

"You really shouldn't have done that." I said as I got up, squeezing the ends of my shirt to get the water out. Ugh, I definitely need a shower- _like right now._

"I'm sorry…the water…I don't even know if I even caused that." he said.

"Whatever." I said, as I tried to dry my hair with my hands. "That wasn't what I meant though-you shouldn't have taunted them like that, especially when we're having a game on Friday." When he looked confused, I explained further, "it's a Capture the Flag game, basically there are two teams, and in order to get the flag, they fight it out-!"

"Fight it out? You mean with real swords and shields?" Percy asked. I nodded.

"Pretty much, and knowing how they think, Clarisse and the rest of the Ares cabin are guaranteed to get you back with that."

Percy didn't say anything else afterwards.

We walked away from the bathrooms and were finally approaching Cabin 11. People were giving me weird looks and gestures, pointing at my soaked appearance. I felt my face burn with shame and embarrassment. When we went by the Athena cabin, Annabeth was sitting on the steps reading a book. She looked up, and she was startled by our approach, or more like, by my _soaking wet_ appearance.

"Don't ask." I said, before she opened her mouth. That was when I couldn't take it. I needed a shower and a new set of clothes on soon. Otherwise, I'd be a laughingstock in no time.

"Annabeth, do you mind if you give Percy the rest of the tour? I _really_ need a bath." I said urgently.

"Yeah…" she trailed off as she closed her book, still observing me in my drenched state. Percy was avoiding my gaze, looking guilty.

Giving Annabeth a nod of thanks, I quickly ran to Cabin 11 for my set of new clothes and then sprinted as fast as I could to the bath house.

Fates knew I needed it.

-o-


	10. Suspicions

For once, I was glad that Chiron gave me a break.

It took me an hour to finally wash out the stench. An hour may not be much, but I usually washed really fast, so it was a long time for me. When I finally finished drying out my hair and putting on a new set of clothes, I decided to visit the wretched bathrooms again. Sure enough, the damage looked to be beyond repair, so I decided to visit the Hephaestus cabin. If anyone could fix this, it was them. I eventually met up with Charles Beckendorf, the cabin counselor, and after hearing my explanation of having a 'mishaps' in the bathrooms, he decided to come check it out with me, and that was how I was back here again.

"Do you have any idea how this might have occurred?" I asked. I didn't mentioned Percy's part in all this. I had to be sure of something.

"Uh huh," was all he said, as he placed a hand on the pipes that protruded from the walls. "You see these crack lines here?" He pointed a finger at it so I could understand what he was talking about. "It appears that these pipes broke due to some kind of pressure."

"Pressure?"

"Yeah, and seeing how there are crack lines and numerous holes apparent, it is obviously not caused by some loose screw. I believe that this was caused by a sudden overflow of water."

"An overflow? But an overflow can't be this serious right?" I asked.

Beckendorf shook his head, looking confused. "Not if it is in huge amounts _and_ going at rapid speeds-and when I say rapid-I mean the kind of speed that drives the Amazon River." I widened my eyes slightly.

"Then, do you have any idea what may have caused this?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"That's what I'm not sure of. This kind of problem has never occurred before, at least not at Camp. So I don't have the slightest clue as to what the source of the problem is." Beckendorf said, looking distressed.

I knew. I didn't want to believe it, but Beckendorf had unknowingly confirmed my suspicions:

Percy is a son of Poseidon.

It suddenly made so much sense. Why he was the only one left unscathed from the flooding. Why he stopped at Cabin 3, like he felt some longing to it like I did to Cabin 8 on my first day, and the way he handled the Minotaur when he had no prior knowledge in fighting…it all came down to this.

But it also meant that Poseidon had broken his part of the pact, and remembering what happened to Thalia, this knowledge could easily lead to a full-scale war. All because Percy wasn't meant to exist.

Yet despite knowing the disaster that could-no, _would-_ eventually follow, I couldn't help but feel glad, and relieved. Not because I knew for sure that quests would coming back (and very soon), but because I wasn't the only disaster of a demigod after all. Percy might even be considered more of a threat to the gods than I was, seeing how he was a child of the Big Three while I was just…a clone.

"Hey." Beckendorf called out as I suddenly snapped away from my thoughts. "I was wondering if _you_ had any idea what had caused this. You are a witness."

"Oh yeah. About that…" I said, trying to think of an alternative story in my head. "I'm not sure actually-they really just decided to blow up all of a sudden. Maybe you could…ask the naiads? Maybe they'll know something, being spirits of water." Beckendorf looked at me uncertain for a moment, before giving off a satisfied expression.

"Yeah, I might do that. That's a good idea." he nodded, getting up.

"You…will you…be able to fix this? I mean, I know that it's a lot of damage…" I said as I followed him out the entrance of the restroom.

"Oh that?" Beckendorf rolled his eyes. "That's nothing. My cabin and I could fix it all up in an hour or so. It just needs a lot of replacing."

"Oh, that's great. Thanks for coming with me to check it out." I said as he nodded with a smile and went to alert his cabin of the news.

-o-

"I am _so_ going to strangle those two!" I mumbled angrily. I stalked out of Cabin 11, _weaponless._

Just when I thought it would be safe to leave my bow and quiver behind, that was when the Stoll brothers decided to pounce on it. And it wasn't just my archery weapons…oh no…they even had _the nerve_ to take my twin daggers as well. Knowing full well that I would be coming after them when I discovered them missing.

The only problem left was locating the two peeves.

I checked the stables, the arena, the archery range, practically searching every inch of this camp upside down _several times._ I had even asked someone to tell me what their class schedules were, but it turned out to be no use because they _conveniently_ decided to be absent today.

The smart brats.

So that was pretty much all I did the whole day, searching for my valuable stolen weapons until I was too tired from walking back and forth from place to place. Where could they possibly be? It's as if they were off the face of the camp. I sat down on one of the pavilion tables to take a break, panting silently as I tried to remember anywhere else that I might have missed.

"Looking for these?" I heard a voice call out behind me. When I turned around, I saw Clare at the entrance of the pavilion, holding my quiver and bow in one hand, while having my twin daggers in the other.

"Oh my gods, thank goodness. I was looking for those," I said, walking towards her. When I tried to take them, she stepped back, keeping my weapons out of my reach.

"What are you doing?" I asked. She narrowed her eyes at me.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm keeping them away from you," she said sternly.

"What? Why?" I nearly shouted at her.

"Don't worry. I'll eventually give them back to you tomorrow." she said, as she moved out of reach again when I tried to swipe them from her.

"I did not waste all those hours of searching to get them back _tomorrow_!" I retorted. "What am I suppose to do then without those?!"

"How about getting some rest?" she suggested. I rolled my eyes furiously.

"Not this again," I snapped, "I told you already, I don't need the rest!"

"And I don't want you to purposely tire yourself out like this!" she shouted. I flinched. This was the first time that Clare actually yelled at me.

"Why should you care? What I want to do with my time is up to me!"

"What do you mean why I should care?" she shouted back again. "I thought you already knew why! It's because you're my friend!"

Out of anger, I regretted them as soon as they left my mouth, "y _ou're NOT my friend!"_ She flinched noticeably, as if my words had stung her. And after what seemed like hours, she dropped both of my weapons to the floor, looking down.

"You're right. What you do with your time…is your decision." Then, she quickly turned away from me, and ran out of the pavilion.

"W-wait…Clare!" I shouted out as I ran after her, leaving my weapons on the floor. I thought I actually saw her crying. She had a head start, but since I was faster than her, I caught up with her in no time when she suddenly stopped at the edge of the lake.

"I…I'm s-!"

"Please don't say, ' _I'm sorry_ '." she said, her back facing me. "I heard _enough_ of those to last a lifetime." I stood silent, unsure of what to say, and after what seem like forever, she decided to speak up again.

"You know, my father nearly died because of that," she said quietly. "My father…he ran a landscaping company. He loved what he did, which was why he also gave his best effort." She paused, as she suddenly choked, I lifted a hand to reach out to her, but instead I hesitated, and held back.

She continued, "but when he met my mother, he said that she was unlike any woman he had ever met…and when I was born, he was…happy." She sniffed, "that was awhile back though."

I didn't say anything.

"Then my mom left. She simply left-leaving no letter, no indication to him as to why she did, that was when things really started to go downhill. My father was heartbroken, he thought it was something he did that caused her to leave…and as he grieved, he started working as hard as he could to keep his mind off of her." Now I could really hear her crying as her shoulders shook uncontrollably, "Then one day…when he was at work, and I was at school…I was later informed that he went into cardiac arrest." She paused as I tried to take all of this in.

"Later on, when the doctors tried to stabilize him, he fell into a coma. For the next 6 weeks and a half, I was on my own. I had no idea when he will wake up, or if he will wake up at all. I was alone, and when I asked what caused this attack to happen-do you know what they said?" She whirled around to face me, her eyes bloodshot. "Do you know what they said, Seth?" she repeated urgently.

I didn't answer, finally realizing why she made such a fuss.

She answered, "they said it was because he was working himself too hard." She gave a mirthless laugh. "Can you believe it? All this because he was working…all because he wanted to… _move on_." Then, she composed herself, giving off deep breaths, looking off towards the distance so she wasn't facing me. "A few weeks later, he eventually woke up-just as the doctors said he will. I was relieved of course...but the shock had taken a toll on me. I made sure from that day forward, that if my dad ever showed signs of fatigue or even the slightest hint of drowsiness, I would force him to take a break. I suppose that habit hasn't died off…despite all these years."

Then, she looked directly at me, as if she was expecting me to say something. I wanted to apologize, but she also mentioned how sorry didn't cut it.

"I…I don't know what to say," I said honestly, looking down. She only nodded.

"It's fine. It just feels… _nice_ to finally open up." she said, giving me a sideways glance. "So…now you know my story. Does this make me a friend to you?"

I paused, not knowing how to explain myself, "I…I know that you don't want me to…to say _that_ , but it's really not your fault." I started. "You are a great person Clare, but I just…"

"So you're saying you have trust issues or something?" she inquired.

"In other words…yeah I am." _She sure made this a lot easier,_ I thought.

"Well then, I suppose I can't really do anything about it..." she said as she turned her direction away from the lake, walking passed me. "All I can do though…" She turned to face me and gave me a brief smile, "…is to provide support. If you ever do decide to let go, I'll be here."

Then, she walked away, leaving me alone with pondering thoughts.

-o-

I went back to the pavilion to pick up my weapons. After hearing Clare's personal story…I suddenly didn't feel like practicing with either. Instead, I went back to Cabin 11, placed them carefully under the covers and out of sight. And simply went out for a leisurely stroll around the lake, enjoying the view.

When it was finally dinner, everyone had crowded around as always. Enjoying the food and conversation after they had sacrificed their portion to said deity. Will and the Apollo campers were chatting along and some were creating poems. At the Hermes table, Percy seemed to be adjusting to camp well, talking to Luke beside him with a grin. I decided to sit across from them, picking at the food in my plate as their conversation droned on.

I glanced up at them occasionally, but mostly at Percy. I wondered what I should do with my newfound information. I wasn't going to spread it around like gossip or anything-I wasn't like that, but I wondered if I should tell Percy. He had a right to know, since it concerned him. But then again, would he even believe me? Maybe if I told him my evidence, he would, but would that be such a good idea? Was it even my place to tell him and expose Poseidon's kept secret?

_No…that wouldn't be right._ I thought. I would be intruding…and Percy wouldn't necessarily appreciate it.

Percy eventually got up to get more food at the main table. When he did, Luke decided to ask about my day.

"It's been a while. Hasn't it, Seth?" he asked, looking weary.

I nodded. I stuck my fork into my meat. "It has. I still can't believe it has been so long." Luke looked confused. "6 months sure feels like 6 weeks." He chuckled softly.

"You have a point there." Luke agreed. Then, his voice became solemn. "I noticed you've been training really hard lately. How has it been going? Your training I mean."

I shrugged. "Just a little this and that, nothing big."

"Yeah, right." he said in disbelief. "I heard from Fletcher that you're using two arrows at a time now. That definitely seems like progress to me."

"Maybe to you," I relented, "but I'm sure there are many Apollo campers that are much better than me. I heard Lee could do _four_ arrows at a time."

"You give yourself too less credit, Seth. Lee has been here for years, and even he took longer to reach the same level as you are now." he pointed out.

"Whatever." I said, munching on my food.

"It's a wonder though..." Luke began. I looked up at him, confused.

"What wonder?"

"You're such a good archer. I wonder why Apollo hasn't claimed you yet."

I stopped munching on my food, my breathing uneven. Was Luke…implying something? I narrowed my eyes slightly at him, but he was already facing the other way when Percy arrived back to his seat. They were already engaged in another casual conversation. I sighed, placing a hand to my forehead. I was too tense for my own good.

"Hey," Percy said. His sea green eyes were scrunched up with worry. "You alright? You look a little spaced out." Luke gave me a glance.

I nodded slightly. "Yeah, I…Luke, is it alright if I skip out the campfire tonight? I don't…feel very well."

"Of course," he said, concerned. "Do you need to go to the Big House to lie down?"

I shook my head. "That won't be necessary. I only need some rest, that's all. See you guys." I got up slowly and walked out the entrance of the noisy pavilion. When I located my sleeping bag on the floor, I quickly plopped down on it…and just _pondered_.

Six months. It had been six months since _that day._ So much had changed in that short time span, but my mind continued to be perturbed by the same haunting memory over and over again. I closed my eyes, praying to the god of sleep for peaceful slumber. When sleep finally started to creep up on me a half hour later, the nostalgic memories also dissolved away until there was nothing left but darkness.

-o-

_Clang!_

I pressed both daggers up as my opponent's sword was brought down upon them again. I quickly released my daggers from there locked position, causing my opponent to fall back slightly. I took the chance and aimed a full round house kick to the side of his face. He blacked out instantly. No sooner had I taken him down when another one came up behind me, his spear raised.

I swerved quickly to the left as the spear lunged at me. We circled each other silently while I made sure to stay at a safe distance. The opponent suddenly stepped forward to aim a jab at my side, but I simply blocked it with ease, and using one dagger as a shield against his spear, I quickly closed the distance and gave the guy a punch in the face.

_That'll teach the Ares campers to mess with me,_ I thought with a smirk.

Seeing as how no one else tried to attack me, I quickly ran across the forest clearing, searching for Luke. Luke was supposed to be the one to get the flag, and according to the plan, I was to be his back-up.

I paced myself, dodging battles here and there while avoiding the enemies' traps. I scampered up quickly on the trees and was leaping from one to the other in order to get to my destination faster. I spotted Luke's sandy blond hair 30 feet ahead of me. He was currently fighting off the two guards.

I heard cracking noises behind me as I leaped down, and soon enough I was faced with 3 opponents, all of them surrounding me in a circle, swords held in offense. Two of them quickly jabbed their swords out at once, and I narrowly dodged both of them as I twisted my back and lowered myself to their foot level. Before they knew it, I turned a 360 with both weapons out; cries were emitted as all 3 of them collapsed-hands to their injured ankles.

I jumped over one of their kneeling figures and headed towards the flag. Luke was still being occupied with the two guards, and making use of that distraction, I took the flag.

That simple action caused a chain reaction:

The two guards suddenly realized their flag was breached, and were trying to end their fight with Luke quickly. Luke was urging me to run while fighting his way through, and several other opponents were racing towards me from the other direction. I quickly took off with the flag beside me. Climbing trees was not an option, and I could only fight with only one of my hands, cutting my attack strategies in half. The worse thing was that the boundary line was still a good distance away.

I wasn't going to make it-not without help of course.

The two guards were chasing after me, leaving Luke free to run as fast as he could after me. Being a child of Hermes, he quickly matched my pace. I handed him the flag, and he took it quickly. Giving me a nod of thanks and a grin, he ran ahead of me. I decided to stop and stand my ground. This was the job that was assigned to me.

I stretched my arms out, with both daggers pointed out; blocking the path of the two guards.

_You'll have to go through me first._ My eyes seemed to indicate to them. The two guards only smirked in response, probably thinking what a puny guy like me was going to do.

_Ares campers and their stupid pride,_ I thought as I charged in between them, both of my daggers clanging against their broad swords. Both of them twisted their swords to release my daggers' clutches on them, and we were back at square one.

The two of them went around me like hawks circling their prey. I darted my eyes back and forth, trying to maintain my watch on the two of them. Sensing my distraction, the guard in front of me lunged a left swerve to my side, which I blocked, and the guard behind me tried to attack me overhead, in which I quickly placed my other dagger over my shoulder to block. They thought they had me trapped. The guard behind me was pushing his sword down with his weight, causing my knees to bend slightly under the pressure. The guard in front was doing the same. I simply tipped the handle of my dagger forward to my chest, causing the sword behind me to go off course. Given the opportunity, I aimed a backward kick to the guard's chest. Once the pressure was eliminated, I used both daggers to trap the sword of my other opponent, and gave a hard kick to his side. He fell to the ground immediately. I heard the guard behind me getting back up, so I gave him a round house kick to his sword hand, causing him to drop his weapon. Before he could run to get it, I held my dagger to his throat.

"You lose." I hissed. I darted my eyes at his unconscious companion, and then back at him. "Yield." He gave me a silent glare in return, and involuntarily raised his hands up in surrender. I jabbed at his shoulder to get him moving, with my dagger pointing at his back. I guessed all that training paid off after all.

As I walked my newly found prisoner to my team's base, a loud cheering erupted. I saw Luke on top of the shoulders of our teammates, raising the new silver caduceus flag above him for all to see as Chiron blew the conch horn to signify the game's end. I let my 'prisoner' go, seeing how there was no point to it. The game was over.

I spotted Clarisse and her gang among the cheering crowd, all of them looking downright pissed. Speaking of Clarisse, I roamed my eyes over the clearing until I spotted the one I was looking for. At the edge of the river, Percy seemed to stagger a bit, but Annabeth was there to support him. No wonder they were so angry, Percy must have beaten them _again_.

The cheering suddenly stopped and a low growl resounded among the mass of campers, I looked to see where the sound originated, and my eyes stopped as they looked right at a _hellhound._

_How did that thing get in here?!_ I thought frantically as the hellhound charged at speeds unimaginable-heading right towards…

"PERCY! LOOK OUT!" I screamed at him. He turned around in shock as the beast suddenly lunged towards him. I frantically tried to set my bow as the hellhound loomed over Percy. He was defenseless.

That was when Chiron released his own bow, the arrow struck a vital point. The monster disappeared. The terror had passed.

" _Di immortales_!" Annabeth called out while looking shocked, "that's a hellhound from the Fields of Punishment. They don't…they're not supposed to…" she trailed off. She didn't know what else to say.

I paid her no mind as I sighed in relief, Percy looked alright. Clarisse, however, tried to exact revenge:

"It's Percy's fault! Percy summoned it!" she yelled recklessly after Chiron told us how it got in.

"Quiet, child." Chiron scolded her.

As we all recovered from the sudden event that could have turned into a catastrophe, I saw how Annabeth was beckoning Percy to get into the water.

_She figured it out._

My eyes widened as a light green glow began to form above him. The campers beside me let out a gasp at what was about to happen: Percy was about to be claimed. The green glow became more and more pronounced until it shaped into the form of the god's symbol. Unlike the others, I looked away. I knew what was about to happen, and the campers' whispers and echoes of surprise confirmed my thoughts.

"Look, I-I don't know why..." Percy called out, sounding startled. He still didn't notice the symbol above his head.

I called, "Percy, look above you." He stared at me before complying, and by then the green swirling trident was already fading, but he saw it nonetheless.

"It is determined." Chiron said ominously. I could only agree with his tone as I looked away from the commotion.

_So this is what it's like…to get claimed like this._ I thought sadly, feeling bad for Percy for what was about to come.

Percy sounded startled, "m-my father?"

"Poseidon." Chiron answered. "Earthshaker. Stormbringer. Father of horses. Hail, Percy Jackson, son of the sea god." To make things even more awkward for him, he bowed with the rest of us soon following.

My only thought about all this? I was thankful it wasn't me, not yet anyway.

-o-


	11. Quest

Ever since Percy got claimed, the atmosphere around camp became _different._

Wherever he walked, campers swerved to avoid him, afraid to get in his way. No one exchanged words with him, not even a polite greeting. Even Clarisse and the rest of her cabin didn't do anything to him either, which was a surprise, seeing as how she was still infuriated from our last game. He became less lively, more reclusive, as he sat alone at the Poseidon table. It didn't take a genius to see that Percy was miserable.

I was so glad I decided not to say anything.

I sat with Luke and the Stoll brothers in silence. I pondered what I should be doing. I haven't had a chance to talk to Percy at all since our last game. I mean, come on! He's a pretty great guy, coming from someone who only met him a few days ago, and everyone was shunning him out because of his heritage. I couldn't help but feel angry at that, and this was only _Poseidon_ we were talking about, who had like hundreds of kids in the past! Imagine once Artemis decided to claim me, what then? I definitely did not want to tolerate this kind of treatment or worse.

Travis and Conner were also less chatty and avoiding my gaze, very out of character. I gave them an eerie smirk, and they both cowered even lower in their seats.

Let's just say that I managed to get them back 2-fold: they wouldn't be getting their hands on my weapons anytime soon. I smiled as I recalled that event. It was just after Capture the Flag ended.

" _Please let us go!" Travis said pleadingly, as he struggled to move. The arrows that I had pinned_ _on the ends of his shirt and pants prevented him. "We were bribed! We won't do it again!" Conner, who was pinned on another tree beside him, nodded furiously at his brother's words._

" _Oh?" I said questionably. "What makes you think I believe you?" I said tauntingly as I purposely sharpened my daggers in front of them. They gulped visibly._

" _We swear by the Styx!" they said simultaneously. I raised an eyebrow. That was a hard oath to break._

" _Well maybe your promise isn't enough to satisfy me." I said as I narrowed my eyes dangerously low. "This isn't the first time after all." I paused for effect, they didn't say anything. "Tell me, how did the two of you avoid me? I made sure to check every inch of this place."_

" _Apparently not every place," Travis smirked despite his situation. "We were still in the Cabin when you discovered your weapons missing." I was stunned. "We were hiding under the covers of one of the beds." he said._

_Conner chirped in, "you got to admit it was ingenious." He looked rather pleased with the trick._

" _Yes," I mumbled, "that was…ingenious." That was the very last place I would have bothered to check. I continued, "but I'm still not going to let you guys go-not until justice is done."_

" _What?!" they said at the same time, both having identical faces of bewilderment._

_Conner protested, "b-but we even revealed one of our greatest secrets!"_

_Travis nodded. "Yeah! And just what are you going to do? You can't hurt us!" I raised an eyebrow mockingly at them._

" _Who said anything about hurting you guys?" I said innocently. "In fact, I'm not the one who's going to enact your punishment." They were confused._

" _T-then what are you…?" Travis trailed off as he heard someone else approaching. I gave a polite greeting to welcome the new arrival._

" _Hello Daniel, thanks for coming." I said to the newcomer. He smiled in response._

" _How could I not?" he replied, "I always wanted the chance to get back at these two for messing with my stuff." His eyes had a gleam in them. "I should be thanking you for this opportunity." I gave him a smirk, as I leaned in to his ear to whisper my idea of 'torture'. He laughed when I finished._

"Can _you do it?" I asked._

" _Of course," he said, "I'm not a son of Hecate for nothing." I nodded in agreement._

" _Let's get started, shall we?" I said, as I darted my eyes to the Stolls' horrified looks._

_Daniel nodded. "Maybe its best if you stand back…I don't want you to get infected by accident." I nodded, and moved back 5 feet._

_Daniel stood in front of them, casting a chant with his hands raised up. A big puff of orange smoke appeared, engulfing the two trapped victims. By the time the smoke vanished, the Stoll brothers started…laughing. They laughed and laughed, unable to stop. Conner had tears running down his face while Travis was letting out snorting noises. I looked on, satisfied with the results._

" _How long will the effects last?" I asked him. Daniel seemed to look at his watch mockingly for a moment._

" _I say…the tickling spell will last for another 3 or so minutes." he replied. "Is this good enough for you?" I listened to their uncontrolled laughter for a few moments, both of their faces were now wet._

_I grinned, "Definitely."_

_Revenge sure was sweet._

"Is there something going on that I'm unaware of?" Luke asked questionably, looking at his two brothers and me, and thereby snapping my attention back to reality.

"Maybe," I said as I glanced at the Stoll brothers, who were still avoiding my gaze. "You can ask _them_ for the details." Luke looked even more confused.

But let's get back to the real topic.

"Hey Luke," I said nonchalantly. "Is there any rule as to why we are restricted to sit at _only_ our designated tables?" Luke looked at me in surprise.

"Of course, the gods made it like that in order to have their spheres of influence enforced on the camp." he said. "You're not thinking-!"

"So if I were to say, suddenly sit down at that lonely Cabin 3 table-will anything happen to me?" I asked. Luke frowned slightly.

"I'm not sure actually," he admitted. "No one's ever tried…" he trailed off as he saw me getting up and heading towards Poseidon's table. I was praying to the sea god to not blast me dead as I approached. I was doing it for a good cause after all. I walked to where Percy was seated, placed my plate in front of him and seated myself down. Percy looked up at me in surprise, and apparently, the other campers did too, when the pavilion suddenly became quiet.

It was complete silence for a few moments. Luke, and Clare as well, were looking at me as if I was crazy. Chiron was looking at me in surprise, but he didn't do anything to stop me, while Mr. D…well, he still hasn't looked up from his magazine. Percy continued to stare at me, looking at me as if I grew a set of horns. I waited a few moments, and seeing as to how I was still alive and well, I delved into my dish. The eerie silence was getting to me when I snapped:

"What are you guys looking at?" I muttered, as I took a bite. Clare was the first to snap out of it, shaking her head in exasperation with a small smile on her face. The pavilion became rowdy once again.

Percy still stared at me, his food untouched. He was still shocked at what I just did. I just continued eating, quickly finishing up the mashed potatoes.

"W-why did you…" I looked up at him. "Why did you do that?"

"Do what?" I said.

"You know what I mean! Why did you decide to come over here?" he said, exasperated. I only looked at him questionably.

"Why shouldn't I?" I cut him off before he spoke again. "Just because you're some child of the Big Three, doesn't mean I am obligated to leave you to your personal space." He was offended.

"Wait, I'm not-!"

"I know." I said. "Besides, you look a bit lonely, and might I add, a bit miserable as well." He widened his eyes. "So, I did what every one of these cowards was so afraid to do: I decided to _hang out_ with you. Is that really such a big deal?" I said sarcastically.

Percy didn't say anything for a moment, and then...

"T-thanks," he mumbled, as he picked up his fork and started to eat again. I smiled.

"Anytime."

-o-

The next few days passed by well in my opinion, and not just for me, but for Percy too.

After my daring move of sitting at the Cabin 3 table (and I sat there every day since then. Poseidon didn't seem to mind), everyone else started to relax. Luke began to talk to him regularly, and gave him afternoon sparing lessons with the sword. He offered to teach me as well, but I declined. Swordsmanship wasn't fit for my taste. So I simply watched Luke relentlessly pushed Percy to his limits. The Stolls told me that Percy managed to beat Luke once when I was asleep, much to my surprise.

I introduced Clare to Percy as well, and they simply exchanged pleasantries since there wasn't much to say between those two. When Percy was out of earshot, Clare told me that he was an 'okay sort of guy'-which pretty much meant he was now an acquaintance of hers, also saying how she felt foolish for going along with what everyone did.

I was on my way to target practice once again, and that was when I met Percy at the archery range as well, trying desperately to even manage a hit on the edge of the target board. I watched him for a moment, taking in his stance, and the amount of energy he forced upon the bow. He released the arrow, and it flew right over the target board and landed somewhere near the bushes. Plus, the target was only 10 feet away! As an expert, I couldn't simply look past this.

"You're doing it all wrong." I called out. Percy looked towards me, exhausted and annoyed.

"Yeah, I see that," he said. "I've been trying to get a hit for the last 20 minutes!"

"That's because your stance is too stiff," I told him. "Your feet are spread too far apart, and your hands are griping that bow as if you're afraid of dropping it!" He looked me in confusion.

"I-I am?" he said.

I nodded. "Relax your grip. Put your feet closer together. For the gods' sake, that is a _bow_ you are holding, not a sword."

"Then you give it a shot if you're so good!" he said stubbornly. "I'm tired of this. I should quit-!"

"Don't quit." I said quickly, and then an idea came to my head. "How about this? You point out a target, and if I managed to hit it straight in the center-you continue practicing with archery."

Percy seemed to ponder that idea for a bit when he looked up at me, "and if you miss?"

I shrugged. "Then quit. I won't stop you."

"But what do I get?" I raised an eyebrow. "See, both alternatives are only affecting me, but not you."

I frowned. "Then…what would you like in return?" He smirked.

"I want you…to have a spar against me in front of the whole Hermes Cabin." I widened my eyes at him in disbelief. "I want to see how good you are at swordsmanship." Then, he muttered under his breath, "or how _bad_."

"That is unreasonable!" I argued. "You know how swords are unsuitable for me!"

"Archery is 'unsuitable' _to me_." Percy said simply. "Are you backing out?"

I smirked, he was so going to get it for coming up with that one. "Then I'll have to raise the stakes higher: if I make the shot, you'll have to be here every day for 3 days straight with _me_ as your instructor."

Percy didn't say anything for a moment.

"Are _you_ going to back out?" I said tauntingly. There was no way he was going to win this one, but he wasn't aware of that. He gave a determined look in response.

"You're on." he said. Percy looked at the targets, when he finally spotted one. "How about… _that one_?" I rolled my eyes when I saw it. Of course he would point at the last one: the one at 50 feet. I took my position, and set my bow to the ready while making sure that Percy was taking note of the 'correct stance'. I released my arrow immediately, and it hit dead center. Percy's jaw literally dropped.

"That's not fair!" he accused. "No one told me you were this good!"

"A deal is a deal." I smirked. "Seriously? Luke didn't mention it to you? Or even any of the Apollo campers?" He shook his head, still looking at the target in amazement.

"There's no way I could ever get to _that_ level." he muttered. "It's impossible for me."

"You wouldn't know if you don't try hard enough." I said, "Now pick up your bow and start practicing." He looked at me grudgingly for a moment, as if I had tricked him into making the deal (in a way I did) and he at last picked up his bow, and started again.

"Just remember what I told you." I said smugly, sitting down on one of the benches at his right. "Just do what I did."

-o-

An hour had passed, and during that time, I made a newfound discovery.

Percy…was by far…the most _untalented and worst_ archer I have ever met in my life. It seemed as though the poor guy was cursed by Apollo himself. No matter how many times I got up and corrected his stance, his position, his anything! He would somehow manage to miss the entire target completely. But _if_ he did managed to improved anything-it was that his hits were now 20 feet off instead of 50. It took skill to miss all the time.

I sighed, I was in it big time for the next two days. What have I gotten myself into?

Percy seemed to notice the discomfort that was stretched across my features. "I'm sorry." I looked up at him. "I told you archery wasn't my strong point, and I know you've been trying to teach me the best you could, but can't you see it's _not changing anything_? I won't mind if you just give up on me. I'm wasting your time."

I shook my head slowly. "No, I won't give up on you. I won the deal, and named it under my own terms. I will make an archer out of you yet!" I declared. "All you need is to put forth your best effort and have _tons_ of practice."

"Whatever," he said quietly, not encouraged a bit. I sighed.

"I think we'll put a stop to it for today," I said wearily. "I think we both need the rest."

Percy only nodded in agreement.

-o-

I never did get the chance to give him those two lessons, because guess what?

Percy managed to get a Quest.

I was inwardly whooping for joy when Grover came by to tell me the news. He mentioned the whole Zeus and Poseidon stand-off and how the gods were currently split on the issue. When I asked Grover what the Quest would be about specifically, he only shrugged.

"I'm not really sure," he said, "but it will be clear after Percy speaks with the Oracle." I nodded, and then I remembered a crucial fact.

"Are you going on the Quest?" I asked hesitantly. Grover was Percy's best friend after all, if there was anyone he wanted to go with him, it would be Grover. If he did go, there would only be one slot left, and I had a feeling that Annabeth already made an early reservation.

Grover looked shocked for a moment. "Me? Go on a Quest? Ha!" I looked at him strangely.

"Well…aren't you? I'm sure Percy would want you to go." I said.

He stopped smiling when he noticed how serious I was. "That _might_ have been the case…if it wasn't for the fact that the Council decided to let me off."

"They decided to let you go?" I asked in astonishment. "Even after…"

He nodded, he didn't want to be reminded. "I have you to thank for that. Since I succeeded effectively on your case, they decided to overlook the… _failure_ on the last one. So there was no need for me to go on the Quest." He gave a small smile. "I know Percy had asked me to go, but I refused."

I raised an eyebrow, "and why is that?"

"My search license, remember?" he said giddily, "I can finally go and accomplish my dream!"

I gave a smile, on the inside though, I was sighing in relief, but was there still a chance for me to go? If not Grover, then what would happen if Percy decided to pick Luke, or another senior camper? How was I going to compete with that?

"I think you should volunteer." Grover said, as I looked at him in surprise. "He currently doesn't have a second person to go with, but I have a feeling Percy might just ask you."

"W-what? Why would you think that?" I asked in wonder, he looked very surprised at my obliviousness. "Why would he ask me? If I was Percy, I would ask Luke… or someone else with a lot of expertise."

"So?" Grover said bluntly, "I don't see how that is a problem." When I looked even more confused, he explained, "Seth, the people that are often asked to go on a Quest often chose their partners _not_ because of their skill. Don't get me wrong though, skill is also important, but that isn't usually the first thing that comes to mind."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Grover gave a smile. "It is _trust_ , the kind of people that he or she can count on-the ones that will watch their back, in other words, their _friends_."

"So what? I still don't see why he will pick me," I said. "Percy wouldn't consider me a friend. We only knew each other for a very short time, that's not enough to build _trust_."

"Maybe not," he said, "but you forget something," I looked at him questionably. "From what I've heard, you were the first to accept him for who he is. You didn't care whether or not he was a child of the Big Three, and that was enough for Percy to accept you." I lowered my gaze.

"I only felt bad for him." I muttered. "I didn't think he would actually accept me because of that."

"Then you don't know Percy that well I'm afraid." Grover said playfully. "So what are you waiting for?"

I gave a brief smile, and walked away, quickly making my way to the Big House.

-o-

When I made it to the entrance, I paused before I went in.

_This is it,_ I thought. _I really hope Grover is right about that acceptance thing._

I opened the door, and saw that everyone was spread out. Mr. D was seated on the front desk, with Chiron standing beside him as always. Annabeth was also present. She's probably one of the people Percy's going with, just like how I suspected. Percy was the only one standing, and by the way everyone was staring at him before I came in, I assumed they were told of what the Quest entailed.

"So," I said, trying to ease the tension. "What did I miss?"

"Seth." Chiron called. "What brings you here?"

Chiron already knew why I was here, so I guessed he wanted me to state my intentions to everyone else.

"Well, I was wondering if Percy still needs someone to go with." I said, trying my best to keep my voice steady, "and if he does, I would like to volunteer. That is, if he wants my…assistance." I looked at Percy for confirmation. He looked surprised for a moment, until he gave off an expression of gratitude.

"Yeah, that would be awesome. Welcome aboard." he said, but then he grew startled. "Wait, you don't even know what the Quest is about! Are you sure you still want to go?" I nodded immediately.

"I was actually hoping you would fill in the details for me." I said. I made my way into the room.

Annabeth answered instead, "Zeus' master lightning bolt was stolen." Before giving me a chance to speak, she continued, "we are to retrieve it from the supposed thief and bring it back to Olympus before the Summer Solstice."

A stolen bolt, huh? So that was what Annabeth and Percy were mumbling about a few weeks back.

"Okay," I said. That was no biggie. "Anything else?" If Annabeth was expecting to freak me out, she didn't show it.

"We will be going to the Underworld first." she said firmly. That caused a reaction.

"T-the Underworld?" I stated, slightly startled. Percy nodded.

"It's the only lead we have." he confirmed. "Hades is the only god we could think of with an alibi." I nodded. That was understandable, but the Underworld? That was a first.

"And where exactly…is the Underworld located?"

Annabeth answered again. "It's in LA, or more specifically, right by Hollywood." I was slightly surprised.

_Oh get a grip…if Olympus could be in New York, then why not?_

Before I could reply, however, Mr. D decided to give out a loud yawn.

"Well? Are you going on the Quest or not, Hudson?" he replied, obnoxious as always. I slightly twitched when my name was said wrong, but I figured he did that on purpose, just like he did with everyone else.

"Yes," I said firmly. There was no going back now. I waited too long for this. "That's why I'm here."

Percy gave me a smile, while Annabeth was stern as always, but she gave a slight nod to show she was okay with it, which was definitely saying a lot, seeing as how I almost shot her in the leg on my first day.

"You three will pack your bags tonight," Chiron stated, "and will depart immediately at sunrise tomorrow. There is no time to waste." With that said, our meeting was adjourned, and the three of us went to our respected cabins and began to prepare for our departure.

-o-

The next day, we were all packed and ready to go.

Percy was lent some mortal cash and a bag of golden drachmas, along with a canteen of nectar and ambrosia. Only to be used for emergencies, Chiron had told us. Luke also gave him a pair of magical sneakers that provided the wearer flight and Chiron also provided him with a pen/sword thing that would always return to his pocket. Annabeth had similar things, but she also brought along her magical Yankee Cap that allowed her to become invisible. How cool was that?

As for me, I had no magical items, but I had some cash and drachmas in my sports bag as well, along with a bottle of water and a few bags of potato chips. The Apollo campers were, once again, kind enough to give me a new quiver of hand-made arrows, each of them wishing me the best of luck. Besides my archery equipment, I also had on my weapons belt, securing my two nameless daggers with my black jacket obscuring them slightly. Just when I was about to leave however, Clare sauntered up to me, her breathing uneven.

"So you were going to just leave before I came huh?" she teased. I rolled my eyes.

"Maybe," I said. I laughed when she suddenly frowned. "Who knows what you will do? You might give me a punch for good measure."

"I might just do that," she said slyly, then she turned serious, "but I do have something for you." She reached into her right pocket, and pulled out what appears to be a vial. She handed it to me carefully.

"What is this?" I asked while inspecting it. The vial was small and delicate, not much bigger than the palm of my hand. It had a dark shade of gold with tints of silver on the edges, with a small pearl in the middle of the cap.

"This is what you call a healing potion," she said. "A single sip can help cure the worst of injuries in seconds. It has a mix of ambrosia and nectar in it as well, but I added my own mixture to enhance those healing qualities."

"Really? So is this like…even better than ambrosia and nectar?" She nodded.

"Only use it if your wounds are life-threatening. These potions take a long time to make. I even had to ask for a favor from the Apollo cabin as well."

"Alright, thanks a lot," I said, "but what about the vial itself? It looks so…fragile. What if it breaks by accident?" She only smiled.

"That is the best thing about that container," she said. "It may be small, but the material is of pure celestial bronze with diamond edges. It's virtually indestructible. All you need to make sure of is to remember where you put it and _not lose it_." Then, she remember something. "Oh yes, that vial only has enough for 3 sips. Once for each of your team mates if need be. However, if one of you is very close to death, it will take up the _whole_ vial. So use it wisely."

"Hopefully, it won't come to that," I said. When Annabeth and Percy started to beckon me over, I had to cut our good-byes short.

"I gotta go." I said, glancing at the two that were making their way to the gate. "I sure hope I come out of this alive."

"Don't say it like that," she said. "Only _know_ you will come back. May the gods provide you and your company guidance." She stepped back to join the crowd that was watching us leave.

I nodded and placed the vial into my jeans pocket, and I quickly caught up with Percy and Annabeth. I gave the camp one last glance, and then the three of us stepped out of the borders of Camp Half-Blood, towards the world ahead of us.

As we did so, I looked up towards the sky as Percy and Annabeth went ahead. Argus was also there waiting for us, the car engine just getting started. It was cloudy, but I could imagine Artemis and the rest of the gods up there watching us depart. I gave a smirk.

_How's that for defying destiny?_ I thought, before joining my two comrades.

-o-


	12. Discoveries

"Are you sure this is the right bus?"

"Yes, _Wise Girl_ ," Percy said, while rolling his eyes. "That is why we are _on_ it."

"Don't you 'wise girl' me," Annabeth snapped. "I'm only making double sure that nothing messes up."

"Well, if you think this is the wrong bus, then go check it yourself!" Percy said back.

"Maybe I will." she said stubbornly, grey eyes flashing. "I'll be right back." She hurried along the bus aisle, shoving her way pass the passengers, but not before muttering _Seaweed Brain._

"I heard that," Percy muttered.

"Just give it a break," I said while I seated myself next to him, my backpack and bow still on my shoulders. I gazed out the window and saw Annabeth asking the driver questions.

"Tell that to her," he grumbled. "She started it."

"Maybe, but you can _end_ it." I said, still looking out the window. "Your bickering is driving me crazy." Percy and Annabeth had been arguing nonstop for at least 15 minutes now, and we only departed from camp a mere half hour ago.

"Fine," Percy said, "but if she says anything, it's not my fault." I only nodded absentmindedly as I saw Annabeth get back into her seat, probably satisfied that we did get on the right bus. The engines started.

I looked away from the window as the scenery soared past. Rain started pouring down in large quantities, making pitter patter noises on the roof. Annabeth was studiously reading her Greek architecture book, while Percy was deep in thought, looking somewhat troubled. Ever since he ripped down that wanted poster of himself when he thought Annabeth and I weren't looking, he seemed to be even more anxious than when we had left.

I overheard what had happened to his mom from Chiron and Grover. Seeing his own mother getting snatched away like that…I could somehow relate. I hoped it wasn't too late.

I moved my hand consciously over to where the vial lied in my pocket. Seeing how it was safe and secured, sometime later I fell asleep, with my hand still over the vial.

-o-

I was violently shaken awake when Annabeth nudged me on the shoulder.

She darted her eyes to the front of the bus, and whispered, "we've got company."

I looked to the front of the bus slowly, and saw 3 limping old ladies…or at least, they _looked_ like old ladies. I was about to ask what Annabeth meant when I noticed how their images seemed to shift back and forth. One image was human, while the other _not human_. Their skin appeared wrinkly one second before turning all leathery in the next. Their black onyx eyes were staring right at us.

"What are those things?" I whispered, while keeping my eyes locked on them.

Percy knew apparently. "They're the 3 worst monsters from the Underworld, the Fur-!"

"The _Kindly Ones_ ," Annabeth interrupted. "How many times do I have to tell you...!"

"Now is really not the time." I cut in. "Are there any exits?"

"There's no back exit," Annabeth said; her mind in concentration. "The windows?" I tried the latch, but they wouldn't pry open no matter how hard I tried.

I shook my head. "They're stuck. So what now?"

"The only possible escape is through the front door," Annabeth said. Then, her eyes lit up. "I got it!" She took her Yankees cap off the hook of her jeans.

"Percy, take my hat. Once you turn invisible, let them go pass you. When you are out of their grasp, go out the front exit." she said, as she shoved her Yankees cap into his hand. "You're their prime suspect. Plus, your scent is the strongest out of the three of us. There is a small chance they won't notice us."

"I can't just leave you guys!" Percy said, panicking. "What will you-!"

"Just put on the cap!" Annabeth said. "Hurry!" He nodded, giving each of us one last glimpse before he snapped it on. Percy disappeared completely. Now it was only the two of us.

"Should we act normal?" I said in a hushed voice. She nodded.

"Be prepared to attack if need be." she added, before growing silent again as the three hags approached. I placed my hand near the hilt of my dagger in anticipation. My only hope was that Percy managed to get away.

The three hags suddenly changed into their true form, their long whips snapping at the edges of our seats. Their onyx eyes glowed red as they narrowed their eyes at us. The people around us started screaming and backed away rapidly. So much for having them not notice us.

" _Where is it?"_ one of them demanded, turning to me and Annabeth. " _Where?_ "

"He isn't here!" Annabeth yelled. "He's gone!" Almost at the same time, Annabeth and I drew our weapons. I started to slash at one of monsters' faces, while Annabeth swerved to her left, her bronze knife out. She waved it wildly to keep the Kindly ones' whips at bay.

As I stepped forward to aim another shot, the whole bus swerved a violent turn. I lost my balance and crashed into the seats. Annabeth was holding onto the handles securely while slashing her knife at the tumbling monsters. The vehicle moved to the other direction quickly, causing the Kindly ones to crash into the windows, resulting in a loud resounding _crack!_

 _Who is driving this thing?_ I thought as I looked to the front of the bus. The driver was screaming, his hands were on the steering wheel, yet it seemed like it was going the opposite way he wanted it to. I looked at Annabeth, and we both thought the same thing:

_Percy._

If we got out of this alive, I must remind myself _never_ to get in a vehicle with him _ever_ again.

The bus started to slow down, but instead of stopping, the whole bottom half of the bus was rotating in a circle until the side slammed against a thick tree. The Kindly Ones finally managed to stand their ground when everyone else rushed out the opened exit. They spun their whips wildly, catching the sides on fire and creating a ton of shattered glass.

Then, Percy decided to make himself known. "Hey!" he yelled, his cap in his hand instead of his head. The Kindly Ones went after him immediately, giving me and Annabeth time to recover and run to the front exit. Percy was engaging one of the monsters with his sword, while the other two lashed their whips at them. Annabeth and I waited behind them until we saw an opening. Percy suddenly slashed a monster in half, and quickly finished off the next one. Annabeth joined in the fight, piggyback riding a Fury as she tried to strangle her. I proceeded to knock the whip out of her hands with my daggers.

"Zeus will destroy you!" she threatened at Percy as she tried to flap her wings. "Hades will have your soul!"

Percy only cursed back at her in Latin, and was about to finish her off when thunder boomed perilously close to the damaged bus.

"We got to get out!" Annabeth screeched. We all pushed our way out the exit and into the wet clearing. Lightning flashed behind us, and the bus exploded. Steam came off the roof of the bus, and the insides were set aflame. A loud screeching noise was heard, and we knew instantly that the monster was very much alive.

"Run!" Annabeth yelled, her blond hair was soaked. "She's calling for reinforcements! Run to the forest!"

We proceeded to run as fast as we could. The further we get from the bus, the safer we would be. Annabeth was ahead, but she stumbled as she accidentally bumped into trees and rocks. I noticed an abandoned shack up ahead, and decided to take the lead.

"Come on," I yelled. "There's a shelter up ahead!"

"What?" Annabeth yelled from behind me. "What shelter? I don't see anything!"

"Just follow me." I picked up my pace, and soon enough, I was at the entrance of the broken down shack. I pushed the door open and sure enough, it was empty. "Come on! There's no one here!" Annabeth and Percy were surprisingly, still far behind. I thought they would have caught up by now.

"Where are you?!" Percy called, his voice hysterical. " _Seth?!_ "

"I'm right here!" I called back at them. "Over here!" I went back outside, waving both of my arms to get their attention. "Over here!" They were getting close, but they still managed to stumble and bump into some bushes before finally making it. By the time they reached the entrance and went inside, they were both huffing and drenched to the bone. Their cheeks were red and their eyes puffy. I stared at them in concern.

"No offense to you guys, but do either of you wear glasses?" I asked once they settled down. "You guys had a hard time trying to get here, bumping into bushes and trees and all that."

Annabeth exhaled. "Glasses? I don't wear glasses." Then, she paused, and she looked up at me strangely. "Are you saying you're able _to see_ through all that?"

"See through all what?" I questioned.

"It was completely dark!" she said. "There was no light at all! It was like we were blind. _So how were you able to see?"_ she repeated.

"Of course I was able to see!" I exclaimed. "Are you sure your eyesight is alright? It can't be _that_ dark out."

Annabeth let out a groan of frustration before turning to Percy. "Seaweed Brain, why don't you tell him how dark it is out there since he doesn't believe me."

Percy only nodded. "She's right. I really couldn't see anything. It was only until the storm lifted that we noticed where you were."

"Really? So you're telling me I have what? Night vision?" I said sarcastically. They both turned to look at me in surprise.

Annabeth replied, "that…could possibly explain it." I widened my eyes.

"No, _no way_! I was only kidding! There's no way I have…" I faltered as they both still looked at me in disbelief.

"Then explain to us how you were able to see." Annabeth said.

"I just…do." I said slowly, "I really can't explain it. I just see normally, I didn't notice it until now." Was it actually possible? Artemis was a moon goddess. Did that involve having infrared vision?

"But there has never been a demigod with infrared vision before," Annabeth muttered, looking very confused. "Who is your parent?"

I lied. "No idea. I'm undetermined." Percy shot me a knowing glance, my eyes told him to shush it.

Annabeth still looked skeptical, giving me glances whenever she came across a certain point, looking at me like I was some hard puzzle. She wasn't going to let this go. Thankfully, Percy noticed my unease, and decided to break the tension.

"So you have night vision." Percy said. "That's cool. Any other powers you might want to tell us?"

I rolled my eyes.

"We left our bags on the bus." Annabeth realized, and then she cursed. "I left all my supplies in there, and my book!"

"Dang it, all that food..." Percy muttered. Then, he noticed the backpack on my shoulders, the one I didn't bother to take off. "You got your bag!" Annabeth looked at me in surprise.

"Open it." Annabeth said hurriedly. "Let's see what we have left."

We spilled open the contents. We found out we still had a good supply of drachmas left, enough mortal cash to last a day or two, three water bottles, some potato chip bags, and of course, my extra quiver of arrows.

"We are seriously low on food," Percy commented. Annabeth nodded in agreement while eyeing the potato chips hungrily.

"I'm starving," she said. "You guys hungry?"

"Definitely," Percy replied. He grabbed a potato chip bag. "You want one?" he said to me.

"Wait, shouldn't we save some of the chips for later?" I said.

Annabeth munched on her chip before she answered, "we'll use the cash."

"But the cash should be…" She eyed me wearily. "Never mind," I said as I also grabbed a bag to eat.

-o-

After finishing up the bags of potato chips, we were on our way.

That was when the bickering started…again.

"So what did you want me to do? Let you get killed?" Percy said angrily.

"You didn't need to protect either of us, Percy. We were fine." Annabeth retorted.

I sighed. "Percy, we appreciate your help. We really do. The problem is you could have jeopardized the mission if you got yourself killed." Annabeth nodded furiously at my words.

"Exactly," she said, and then she added quietly, "I…like what Seth said…I also want to thank you for helping us, but sometimes the mission comes first, and if you got yourself injured or died in that stunt, then the Quest would be over…and there is too much at stake on this Quest."

Percy was silent for a moment, and then he smiled. "Alright. So you guys were worried about me, I get it. But we're a team aren't we? I'm not the only one in on this Quest, so don't blame me for worrying about you guys. You would have done the same, right?"

Annabeth and I gave each other a glance. We both smiled in response.

The clear sky was becoming more visible as the storm clouds parted away. We walked on the trail in silence until Percy asked Annabeth a question:

"You haven't left Camp Half-Blood for a while?" he asked.

Annabeth looked distraught. "No, only short field trips. My dad..."

"The history professor."

"Yeah. It didn't work out for me living at home. I mean, Camp Half-Blood _is_ my home….at home you train and train. And that's all cool and everything, but the real world is where the monsters are. That's where you learn whether you're any good or not." She gave a glance at me. "I'm guessing that is why you wanted to be on the quest as well?"

Dang, she was good, but it was only half the answer. I nodded sheepishly. "Yeah."

"You were great with that knife," Percy said to Annabeth. He looked towards me, "and I have never seen anyone handle two daggers so well before."

"Oh, thanks." I said, looking sideways.

Annabeth gave a light smile. "You really think so?"

"Anybody who can piggyback-ride a Fury is okay with me."

She smiled, but then her expression turned serious. "You know…maybe I should tell you…Something funny back on the bus…"

I raised an eyebrow. "Something funny?"

She nodded. "Back then, when the Kindly Ones were apprehending us, do you remember what she said Seth? Something like…Where is _it?"_

I narrowed my eyes. "It? Don't they mean 'he'?"

Percy shrugged, "maybe they had bad grammar. They aren't exactly the _brightest_." We laughed.

"I'm serious," Annabeth insisted. "There must be a reason why they would use 'it'. It's like…they were searching for something…like an object."

"But that wouldn't make sense," Percy muttered, "Hades must have the lightning bolt."

"So what else could it be?" I asked. I hadn't thought about how a single word change could impact the quest so profusely. It didn't make any sense. If Hades already had the lightning bolt, then what else could he want? But if he didn't…wouldn't that cancel out Hades as a suspect?

_But who else would want the bolt?_

"I don't know," she said, looking rather frustrated. "Hades _must_ be the culprit…it couldn't be anyone else, and he's a god that lives in the west. Who else would have an alibi for stealing it?"

We didn't have an answer.

The next path we took was shadowy, so I had to guide Annabeth and Percy through it without having them bump into things. It took awhile, but I managed it. By the time we entered the another lit clearing, there was a closed down gas station, a tattered billboard right above it, and the lighted neon sign that read like: ATNYU MES GDERAN GOMEN MEPROIM.

We stared at it for a few moments, until Annabeth was finally able to recognize it.

"Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium," she read. "Maybe the owner could help us?"

"Maybe she has some food too." Percy added. A growl escaped his stomach. Someone's hungry, and it wasn't just him.

 _Emporium?_ I wondered. _Why does that…sound familiar?_ I racked my brain for some hints, but I couldn't seem to remember.

We made our way past the garden gnome statues, and once we came through the front door. An ominous feeling hit me.

"Hey you guys," I whispered, "I don't think we should be here." Annabeth was confused.

"Why?" she asked.

"Just this…ominous feeling." I said seriously, "I think…I heard of this place."

But before Annabeth could reply, Percy knocked on the door.

I braced myself, not knowing what to expect, but it was a woman who answered the door. Her head was covered up with a veil, and the rest of her apparel was black. She looked as if she just returned from a funeral, which made me even more nervous.

"Children, it is too late to be out all alone. Where are your parents?" She had a heavy accent.

"They're…um," Annabeth muttered.

Percy blurted out, "we're orphans." Annabeth turned to him in disbelief, I only lowered my gaze. That was true for me at least…before.

"Orphans?" the woman exclaimed. The lie worked. "But, my dears! Surely not?"

Percy seemed to sigh in relief that he sounded convincing. "We got separated from our caravan…" _Caravan? "_ The ringmaster told us to meet him at the gas station if we got lost, but he may have forgotten, or maybe he meant a different gas station."

Annabeth and I both had on incredulous expressions. Was that the best story Percy could come up with?

Percy continued, "anyway, we're lost." He sniffed. "Is that food I smell?" Leave it to Percy to think first about his stomach.

The woman seemed to have bought the story…surprisingly. "Oh, my dears, you must come in, my poor children. I am Aunty Em. Go straight through to the back of the warehouse, please. There is a dining area."

Percy and Annabeth went straight in without a single thought. I lingered behind somewhat, and that was when I heard a snapping noise from behind. I glanced behind me. The woman had locked us in, but why would she do that? When I turned around, she was staring right at me. I took a step back.

"Is something the matter?" she replied sweetly behind her black veil.

I hesitated before shaking my head slowly. "No, I'll be going now." Without giving her a second glance, I quickened my steps before I reached Annabeth and Percy at the table, just about ready to dig in.

I seated myself down awkwardly. Percy had already started munching on his cheeseburger. I grabbed a burger, and just when I was about to take a bite, a strange odor hit me. The odor was awful, like something that came out of the sewers. I glanced up and saw Annabeth drinking her shake, Percy was still eating his burger. They seemed to enjoy it. I tried taking a bite, but the taste was beyond vile and I spat it out quickly. Annabeth noticed my strange action.

"Something wrong?" she asked, looking concerned.

"The food…when I tried eating it, it tasted so _vile t_ hat I couldn't even swallow it." I told Annabeth, "and the odor...how can you guys swallow that stuff?"

Annabeth stopped drinking her shake. "Odor? What odor?"

"It's probably nothing though," I said. "Maybe I'm just not cut out to eat foreign food."

The reassurance failed horribly. She widened her eyes in alarm, realizing something. "I don't smell anything…but if what I'm thinking is correct, then the reason why the food smells weird could be the fact-!"

"Would you like more food my dears?" the woman called out from the other side of the room.

Percy called out. "Definitely!" The woman went into another room. Percy grabbed another sandwich.

I shot Annabeth a glance. "You were saying?"

Annabeth looked nervous. In fact, she looked scared out of her mind. "I think the food is poisoned." I widened my eyes. "This place, I think I know why you were comprehensive about it before…" her voice was barely a whisper at this point, Percy was still eating and paying us no heed. "Do you get it? The garden statues…don't they look too _life-like_?"

My skin suddenly turned icy cold. My heart seemed to have stopped for a moment. "Oh my gods, then this place..." I looked at her nervously. She nodded morbidly.

Curse my memory-how could I have forgotten? Stheno and Euryale had even mentioned how their sister owned an emporium. We should have left when we had the chance.

"She locked the doors," I mentioned, finally making sense of the act. I looked at Percy, who apparently wasn't paying any attention to our conversation. "What should we do about him? He already ate the food."

"I don't think the poison is deadly. It only causes drowsiness." Annabeth said, and her eyes seemed to droop slightly. "We should tell him." I agreed.

"Percy," I said as calmly as I could, "I think we should go now…like _right now_."

He looked up at me, his eyes already drowsy. Annabeth was right. "Why?"

"We'll answer your questions later," Annabeth said, and then she forcefully yanked the sandwich out of his hands. "Stop eating!"

Percy looked offended. "Why should I? This food is great." He noticed our empty plates. "Why are you guys not eating? Aren't you hungry?"

"I rather not eat _poisoned_ food." I muttered, while checking for signs of the monster. Percy nearly choked.

"P-poisoned?! What are you talking about? What..."

"Seaweed brain!" Annabeth hissed. "The garden statues! The covered veil! We're now in her _lair_ …"

Percy looked confused for a moment, but when he finally pieced it all together, his face was as white as a sheet. "Oh crap."

"Way to go genius." I said sarcastically. "So…can we go now before she _comes back_?"

Just when all three of us stood up, the monster decided to make her appearance.

"My dears," she said regretfully. "Leaving so soon?"

I stuttered, "I…we..."

"We should be going," Annabeth picked up, "I mean… the _ringmaster_ will be waiting." I nodded.

"Oh, that is a shame," she said, shaking her head slightly, "I hardly ever get visitors, especially children. I tend to get lonely. Before you all go, won't you all at least sit for a pose?"

"A pose?" Annabeth and I said warily.

"A photograph; I will use it to model a new statue set. Children are so popular, you see. Everyone loves children." I tensed up when she walked a step closer to us.

Annabeth started, "I don't think we-!"

"Sure we can," Percy said. I nearly gagged. Annabeth looked like she wanted to throttle him.

" _Percy_ ," I said, my voice strained with frustration and anger that was slowly building up. "You know we can't. The ringmaster is _very_ strict, if we're late-!"

"Don't worry about him," Percy said. "Come on, it's just a photograph. What's the harm?" He looked directly at me, his eyes were serious. _Trust me on this._ I visibly relaxed…by a small degree. I glanced at Annabeth and nodded. She very unwillingly backed down.

"That kelp head better know what he's doing," she muttered.

"Yes," the woman purred. "No harm."

We reluctantly followed the monster to the designated area, but as she turned rights and lefts, I finally got what Percy meant-even if Medusa was leading the way to our deaths, she was also guiding us through the maze of her statues, leading us closer to the way we came in. Medusa eventually led us to a bench and instructed us accordingly. I was looking sideways at the statue of a young girl, her face distorted as if crying, only with no tears.

"Now will you three give a nice smile," Medusa said sweetly. "Seth, look here please." She knew my name now?

Creeper. But then again, all monsters are _more_ than just creeps.

"Aunty Em, you have a lot of nice statues," Percy said. Medusa gave a smile.

"I know. They are very good company. Beautiful works of art."

"Yeah," Percy agreed. "What about the statue behind you?"

"Which one...?" Medusa turned halfway, and the moment she did, Percy shouted, "NOW!" And he launched into combat mode, taking out his bronze sword, and slashing Medusa across the chest.

I followed Percy's example. I notched two arrows at the ready and aimed at the mid-sections of her abdomen. One of them she managed to dodge while the other pierced at her side. She wailed in agony as she clutched her bloody side.

Her veil was gone at this point, and her 'human body' had morphed to that of an enormous serpent. She looked to be about twice the size of her sisters, and twice as deadly. I scrambled behind a garden statue, as she swung around to glare at me.

" _Seth Hunter!_ " she screeched. "You will pay dearly for what you did to my sisters!" I dodged to the side as her tail smashed the statue behind me. I quickly switched gears. I placed my bow on my shoulder, and took out my nameless daggers with both hands. I stopped to catch my breath as Medusa dealt with my comrades. When I came out of my hiding spot, I saw how Percy was fighting with his back turned while holding a glass ball. Despite the disadvantage, he was successful at dodging Medusa's strikes. I took this opportunity to sneak behind Medusa. When I came in close, I quickly stabbed her tail. Medusa wailed, thrashing her tail this way and that in order to shake me off, but I held on. I twisted one of the daggers, and Medusa screamed.

Percy struggled to avoid the debris, the glass ball he had was shattered in the impact. His sword was at the ready, but he couldn't find his target. Medusa was closing in on him, just a few feet away, just when she was about to lunge...

"PERCY!" I yelled while in mid-air. "DO IT NOW!"

Percy reacted, and swung a full 360 with his sword, and the blade cleanly cut off the monster's head. I dropped to the ground, and yanked my daggers out as her body slowly evaporated. Annabeth reappeared from the sidelines as she took off her cap. She seemed bruised up a little, but otherwise okay.

We all gathered at where Medusa's head fell, Annabeth was clutching the black veil 'Aunty Em' used.

"Don't move." she told us, as she draped the veil over the head. The veil soon dripped with a green icky substance.

"You guys okay?" she asked.

I nodded, while Percy just shrugged.

"It could have been worse," he said. "Why didn't the head evaporate?"

"Once the head is severed, it becomes a spoil of war." she said. "It's just like your Minotaur horn, but the head still has the ability to petrify. So it's best to leave it covered."

All three of us went back to the table and sat down, all of us still too exhausted from the fight.

Percy broke the silence in a very bad way.

"So…we have Athena to thank for this monster?" he said accusingly. I rolled my eyes, there they go again.

Annabeth flashed him a glare. "Your dad actually. Don't you remember?" Then she went on about how it was Poseidon's fault and not her mother's.

Percy did not take that too well. "Oh, so now it's _my_ fault?"

Annabeth mimicked his voice. "It's just a photograph. _What's the harm?"_

"Now hold it! You knew I had a plan figured out!" he protested, his face turning red.

"A plan? You call _that_ a plan?" she retorted. "More like a plan for getting us killed."

"Forget it!" Percy said. "You're impossible."

"You're insufferable."

"You're-!"

"Will the both of you _shut-up_ ," I snapped. They both turned silent. "Gods! In case you haven't noticed, we have a Quest we need to complete, and we're nowhere _near_ accomplishing that. So how about we talk about what we should be doing _instead_ of arguing all the time?" The two of them stayed silent, Annabeth looked rather ashamed of herself.

"Yeah, you're right. We…should be planning the next step." Annabeth said.

Percy nodded slightly, and then he turned towards me. "Hey um, thanks for telling me when to strike. I couldn't have done it without you warning me."

"Sure, Percy." I said, indifferent.

"By the way...what M-I mean, the gorgon said, how do you know her?" Percy asked curiously.

"Um, I met her sisters actually. It's kind of embarrassing..."

"We _got to_ hear it!" he exclaimed.

I rolled my eyes. "Look, long story short: I came across the wrong store, one which happened to be owned by two gorgons. I killed one off with um, a candy cane-!"

" _A candy cane_?" Annabeth cut in, her face in disbelief. Percy snorted, trying to cover up his laughter.

"A candy cane," Percy repeated, struggling to keep a straight face, but failing miserably. "Just the weapon I would pick."

"Shut up Percy," I said, now red in the face. "I was desperate, and it was a candy cane _ornament_. As for the last one, Chiron killed it off with his bow and arrow. That was how I met him and Grover for the first time."

Annabeth remained skeptical. "But a candy cane...how would that kill a monster?"

"What do you mean?"

"Monsters are only harmed by _celestial weapons_ remember?" Annabeth pointed out.

I frowned, I didn't recall that little detail at all. So just how...

"I don't know. I think I remembered seeing _bronze_. I'm not sure," I muttered. "A trick of the Mist probably. Anyway, what should we do with the head? I'm definitely not carrying _that_ around."

Percy grinned, "I know just the thing." He went over, picked up the head, and set it on top of this register-looking thing. From behind, I could hear the scribbling of paper, and the emptying of drawers, until there was a sudden _Swoosh._ When he turned around, the head was gone.

"W-what did you do exactly?" I asked.

"Oh nothing much," he said, "I just decided grab a bunch of cash and drachmas from the register, and send the gods… a _little something._ " Then he looked at Annabeth, daring her to criticize. She only rolled her eyes.

"Come on," Annabeth said, walking towards the door. "I have enough of this place. We should get going."

With that said, we left.

-o-


	13. Sightseeing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Seth is bombarded by unwanted scrutiny, dreams, and monster trouble.

 

I placed my bag on top of the metal railing before situating myself on the comfy chair. Annabeth was gazing at the scenery as it rolled past, and Percy, the last time I saw him, was buying some sweets from the trolley.

We finally made it to the train station right on time after an hour of walking endlessly from Medusa's emporium. Annabeth paid for our tickets, and we were finally on schedule. Only a day had passed since we left Camp, but after facing three angry Furies and a Gorgon, it seemed  _much_  longer than that.

I placed my bow and quivers on my lap, my daggers securely fixed on my belt. I would  _never_ let those out of my sight. I sighed and stretched my arms, and gave a glance to Annabeth, and noticed that on her neck, there were five beads. Each bead represented a year at camp, one year of surviving. I didn't even have a bead.

"So," I started. "How long have you been at camp?"

Annabeth's gray eyes were downcast when she turned towards me. "Since I was seven."

"Five years," I confirmed. I recalled she was the same age as Percy; twelve years old. "How did you get to Camp Half-Blood?"

I almost regret asking my question when I saw her hesitate. "I had some help from two of my friends…and my mother's guidance. What about you? How did you get to camp?" The sudden change in topic made me shift awkwardly in my seat.

"It's a long story," I said, glancing at the window. She was silent, and chose not to pry for more. I appreciated the courtesy, but eventually, I felt like I should return the favor. "I also had help. Remember how I told you how I met Chiron and Grover? They had my back since then. So when I, um,  _called_  for help…they reached me, and next thing I knew, I woke up inside the Big House." I really hoped she didn't detect the lie.

After a while, she finally said, "You're pretty lucky."

"Lucky?"

"I've known Grover for a long time. He's very reliable and he's always there to help if you need him to. Chiron too, but that's only expected from the best hero trainer in history."

I agreed; I'd always remember how Chiron saved my life months back, and I would always remain grateful.

Annabeth asked, "I was wondering…do you live with your father or mother?" The question made me flinch, and Annabeth noticed. "A-are you okay? Did I mention something I shouldn't?"

"It's fine," I assured her. "It's just me."

Annabeth wanted to ask me more when Percy decided to make his entrance. His hands full of goodies.

"You guys want any candy?" he asked while holding up a chocolate bar.

"I'll have one, thanks," I said, and I almost immediately tore into it. I haven't ate anything since the potato chips from yesterday. I was ravenous.

"Hey, isn't this too much? We need to spend our money wisely," Annabeth reprimanded. "We may need the cash for later."

He shrugged. "We're all hungry, and besides, candy was the only food they sold. It sure beats eating poison right?" Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. So what were you saying before Seaweed Brain came in?" Percy looked at Annabeth, and then at me, confused.

"Did I miss something?"

"Not really," I told him. "Annabeth was wondering which parent I lived with- probably trying to figure out my  _godly_  parent." Annabeth blushed.

"I-I was not!" she said indignantly. She apparently disliked how I read her so easily.

"Sure you weren't," Percy said, rolling his eyes. "That's just like you- can't leave a mystery unsolved." He sat down beside me and dumped the rest of the sweets on the plastic tray beside him.

"To answer your question," I continued after swallowing a bite, "I don't live with a mortal parent."

Percy was surprised. "You don't?" I shook my head.

"Nope."  _Since I don't have one to begin with._

"Do you live with a guardian?" Annabeth asked.

"Yeah..." I said slowly, thinking about it. Technically, a guardian should be a blood relative, but considering how whacked up this divine family tree was, I'd take Ms. Lewinsky as a guardian over any god or demigod any day.

Annabeth looked like she wanted to ask me more stuff, so I attempted to fake a yawn. "Dang, am I tired! I think I'm going to take a nap. Wake me up when we get there." I shifted into a sleeping position. Annabeth and Percy took the obvious hint and leave me be. Soon enough, the two of them started another conversation (and without bickering for once) and I soon fell into a deep sleep.

Someone apparently, didn't want me to rest.

_I was standing in the middle of a field. The sun was shining high up in the sky-shining so brightly that not a single shadow was apparent. As I walked forward, I noticed target ranges, all of them arranged just like the way at Camp Half-Blood, only further. That was when I noticed a tall, golden blond haired teen standing in the midst of the field. He had his bow set at the ready and his stance was…perfect. He released his long arrow, and even from such a distance, I somehow knew it was dead center._

_While I stared in amazement, the blond teen noticed my presence, and greeted me with a chuckle, his deep blue eyes staring at me at me curiously with playful humor. When I saw his face, I somehow knew who he was instantly. I gave a low respectful bow._

" _L-lord Apollo," I said nervously, staring down at the grass. "What brings you here?" He didn't say anything for a moment. I was scared at first, but then he gave out a loud melodious laugh._

" _Now THAT_ _is hilarious!" he said, pointing a finger at my knelt position. He laughed even harder when he saw my confusion._

" _I'm sorry, but what is so funny?" Apollo eventually calmed himself down, though some outbursts were prevalent._

" _Excuse me. Sorry about that. This is_ so  _NOT how I want our first meeting to go." he said, chuckling slightly. "You look so much like my little sister, shockingly alike, and she would never act that way towards me. Beats me why she wouldn't. So when you did that…" He laughed again. "I couldn't help it! That was priceless!" He doubled back in laughter again, his laugh sounded like bells ringing._

_I closed my eyes briefly, and stood back up, disappointed. "I…I see." Apollo eventually calmed down, and looked at me guiltily._

"Hey,  _no hard feelings. I know that you and my little sis are on bad terms," he said a bit too cheerfully, but I ignored it, "which is why she asked me to come greet you instead."_

" _Never knew she was a coward," I said harshly. Apollo frowned._

" _Ya know…she really does care about you," he said sternly, "and word of advice: try not to throw insults behind her back." He chuckled slightly, "I kinda' learned that the HARD_   _way."_

" _Whatever you say," I mumbled quietly, standing back up, "but what brings you here?"_

_Apollo looked at me seriously, his grin and good humor vanished. "I came to give you a warning."_

_I tensed. "What sort of warning?"_

" _You and your friends will be encountering an obstacle, very soon FYI. It's best if you guys avoid high places." He said before he started to disappear._

_I called out. "Wait! What do you mean? How would you know-?"_

" _I'm the god of prophecy, remember?" Apollo flashed me a toothy grin, "I'm SUPPOSED TO_ _know things. Just remember my warning, nephew. Okay?"_

_I wanted to question him further, but no noise came out. Darkness seemed to swarm my vision until I heard a cold hollow voice that shook me to my very core._

" _If it isn't the poor doppelganger. The puppet of the gods!" I shivered at the mocking voice as it laughed evilly._

" _Who are you?" I shouted. "Show yourself!"_

" _In time, in time," the evil voice said, laughing like a typical villain in a play. "How about I offer you a deal? Help me rise, and I shall help you change your fate!"_

" _W-what?" I stammered. Who the Hades was this…being? "What are you talking about? What do you know about my fate?!"_

_The being laughed darkly, and before it could give a coherent reply-!_

I was forcefully awoken, the bright light from the window blinding me for a moment. Percy had woken me, his light green eyes flashed with worry.

"You alright?" he said, concerned. "You were thrashing around..." I only stared at him, blinking for a moment. My breathing was uneven, and my forehead was sweating. It felt like I just went out for a jog, when I was only sitting here, dreaming.

"I-I'm alright," I managed to say, "just a bad dream." Just who was that…that  _thing_? It sure as hell didn't sound like Apollo, and who was he to think he could change my fate? How would he do it?

"Seth, you've got to come see this!" Annabeth said excitedly, pointing at the window. When I walked over, Annabeth looked almost…giddy.

"What is it?" I said, wondering what she was looking at.

Annabeth squealed. "It's the Gateway Arch! This may be my only chance to see it!"

I mumbled, "uh huh." I glanced at Percy, giving a  _Is- she- out- of- her -mind_  look. He rolled his eyes.

"Wise Girl wants to be an architect," he informed. "That is why she goes ballistic whenever she sees a building."

Annabeth looked offended. "The Gateway Arch is not just a building! It's an iconic  _monument,_  not to mention a great work of art! Eero Saarinen, a Finnish Architect, designed it in 194-!"

Percy interrupted. " _Please_  spare us the history lesson." She glared at him even harder.

"Wait, so you're actually thinking of going on that thing?" I asked her. This couldn't be happening. It couldn't be this soon right?

"Of course I am," she said. "You guys should come along too. It's not every day someone can stand on the highest monument in America!"

_It's best if you avoid high places._

"I really don't think we should-!"

Annabeth interrupted. "Oh come on Seth, we're already halfway to our destination, and we still have nine days left. We have plenty of time! So why not have a break and some fun while we're at it?"

Percy agreed. "For once, I think I'm going with her idea."

"I'm not against having fun and breaks," I said impatiently, "but I had this dream…" I quickly revealed the conversation I had with Apollo, but I left out the part about the 'evil being', seeing how it was irrelevant, freaky, and said some sensitive things I didn't feel like sharing.

"So Apollo said we should avoid high places," Percy repeated, "and he said this right _before_  Annabeth decided to go on the Arch." I nodded quickly.

"Isn't that too much of a coincidence?" I pleaded. I knew talking Annabeth out of this was futile-she was clearly too obstinate when it involved architecture, but I may still have a chance to convince Percy.

Percy didn't say anything, he was pondering over what I had said.

"I don't know…" he muttered. Sensing his uncertainty, Annabeth decided to step in.

"Maybe Apollo meant another building?" Annabeth said to me. "There are a lot of high buildings in America, he could easily mean another."

"But he said it was  _imminent_ ," I pointed out, "and this is  _Apollo_  we're talking about. He's never been wrong before, right?

Annabeth thought about that for a moment. "He's never wrong, but what are the chances? There are mortals everywhere, and many of them go up sightseeing all the time. Plus, the Arch elevator has very limited space..."

"That didn't bother the furies," I mumbled.

Annabeth ignored that comment. "Well, if you guys aren't coming, then I'll just go by myself.  _If_ there are any monsters, I'll just fight them off the best I can  _alone_." She left us and stepped onto the platform, walking towards the crowded people ahead of her.

Percy shrugged. "Look, I believe you, about Apollo's warning and all that, but we can't leave her alone. If there are any monsters, it's best if we stay together." I sighed.

"Alright," I said reluctantly, already trying to catch up to Annabeth, "but by the off chance there is trouble, I'll try not to say ' _I told you so'_."

-o-

Things were already appearing for the worse.

"Is it me, or is that Chihuahua growling at me?" I said to Percy, as the macho-size looking Chihuahua 'glared' at me with its beady eyes. It's silver name tag gleaming under its chin.

Percy looked at the dog and frowned, "I think it's just you." He snickered. "Don't tell me you're afraid of a  _Chihuahua_?"

"Oh shut up."

The Arch was at least a miles walk from the train station. Percy and I eventually caught up with Annabeth, and she proceeded to give us the whole 'lecture' about the origins of the Gateway Arch. I was only half listening, however, until Percy mentioned Hades' Helm of Darkness.

"The Helm of Darkness is Hades' symbol of power," Annabeth answered. "It allows him to walk around unnoticed. I saw it during the winter solstice meeting."

"So it's sort of like your invisibility hat?" I asked.

Annabeth shook her head. "It has the same characteristics in some ways, but his is a lot stronger than mine-his helm allows him to become darkness itself. He can melt into the shadows, go through walls, and radiate fear so intense it can drive you insane or stop your heart. Why do you think all rational creatures fear the dark?"

"But then…how do we know he's not here right now?" Percy asked hesitantly.

Annabeth gave a cryptic answer.  _"We don't."_

"Thanks, that makes me feel  _a lot_  better," Percy said. He shrugged it off like it was nothing, but I could tell he was spooked out. Who wouldn't be?

When we got into the crowded elevator, my stomach was doing flip-flops, not because of the cramped space (like what Percy was feeling) or the damn annoying Chihuahua (it still hasn't stopped growling at me), but the fact that we were  _above water_.

Over a thousand meters above water. It was the last place a person with seasickness should be.

Why oh why did I agree to this?

The Arch elevator creaked slightly as it took us higher and higher. The park ranger was explaining the history of the Arch while some of the passengers were talking among themselves. With my bow and quiver of arrows over my shoulders, I was surprised no one noticed and tried taking it away from me. It must have been the Mist's doing.

Annabeth was busy looking out the glass frame of the elevator, pointing at the buildings below with up-most enthusiasm. Percy seemed to be enjoying himself as well. I stood beside them casually, looking down at the view with amazement. If only the other kids were here as well, I thought. I knew that some of the girls like Lucy would have enjoyed it just as much as Annabeth did. The grim reminder left me feeling hollow and empty.

That was when I felt a sudden tug on my sleeve. I was startled for a moment, and when I looked down, I noticed a little dark-haired girl, no older than six years old. She was wearing a white knee-length dress with matching white ribbons in her hair. She stared at me for a moment, her grey eyes looking confused.

"Hey mister," the girl said. "Why do you look so sad?"

I widened my eyes for a moment, before I forced a smile. "Sad? I'm not sad."

"You are," the girl insisted. "Happy people don't have gloomy eyes."

What was up with this girl? I knelt down so we were eye-level. "Gloomy? Why are my eyes gloomy?"

She shrugged, "I don't know. Only you know the answer to that, mister."

I blinked. "Well, I guess you have a point." Not wanting to dwell on this any longer, I tried changing the topic. "Are you up here all alone? Where are your parents?"

She looked up, a finger to her chin. "Somewhere…I think."

"You mean you're lost?" I said incredulously. The girl shook her head.

"I'm not lost," she said shyly. "I know where to find them. I only need to find my way. Did you find your way?" I stared at her in disbelief.

"My way..." I muttered. I was interrupted by the park ranger, announcing how it was time for us to go down.

Everyone crowded into the elevator, Annabeth among them. Since she wanted some souvenirs, she opted to go down first and meet up with us when we go down. There was only one spot left, Percy was lingering around. He wanted to go on the second shift.

I gave the girl a reassuring smile. "Do you want to go on the elevator? I'm sure your parents are waiting." The girl smiled at me, her dimples visible, and nodded as she took her place in front of the elevator.

"Thank you for being so nice to me mister. I hope you can be happy again." she said; her smile still on her face even as the elevators closed.

I walked over to where Percy was looking at the view, and sighed. Hearing that, Percy gave me a concerned look.

"You okay?" he asked, his arms leaning on the bars.

I nodded. "I'm good, just a little uncomfortable by that little girl's questions."

"Little girl?"

"The little black-haired girl," I specified, "the one in the white dress?"

Percy still looked confused. "Who are you talking about?"

"You didn't..." He probably didn't notice. "Whatever, it's nothing to worry about anyway." We continued to enjoy the tour until it was time for the next shift.

There were only a few people left on the platform, making it considerably less crowded. It would have been relatively peaceful if it weren't for the Chihuahua (unfortunately, it didn't go down the first shift). It started barking like a maniac, while glaring its beady looking eyes at me. Didn't they have pet regulations in place here?

"Now, now, sonny," the Chihuahua's owner said soothingly. "Does this look like a good time? We have all these nice people here." The Chihuahua growled, turning its ugly head at Percy when he turned around, foam dripping from its black lips.

"Well, son," the owner said, "if you insist."  _Son?_

Percy noticed as well, and regarded the owner strangely. "Um, did you just call your Chihuahua your son?" He and I shared a glance; something wasn't right.

" _Chimera_ , dear," the owner corrected, and she smiled widely, her sharp canines slicked with saliva. "Not a Chihuahua. It's an easy mistake to make." She started rolling up her sleeves, green scales quickly emerging from her skin, her pupils became slits…

Great, another monster, as if we didn't have enough.

The people were backing up towards the emergency exits, a little boy was screaming. The chimera advanced towards me and Percy, looking at each of us in turn: it was our move. The owner, who turned out to be Echidna, was laughing horrifically at us.

I whispered, "Percy, we need to get the people out first. One of us has to distract the monsters." He sighed; he understood what I meant.

"Time to be bait," he said sarcastically, drawing out his bronze sword. The Chimera backed up a little at the sight of the weapon. I took out my daggers.

"Be careful," he told me, and then he charged, his sword out, and started swerving it at the beast wildly. I rolled my eyes. _Percy_  was the one who should be careful. With the Chimera's attention on Percy, I quickly ran to the emergency doors, sliding to my knees as I avoided the chimera's snake-like tail. When I approached the mortals, they cowered in terror.

"W-who are you?" the park ranger stuttered. "What is  _that thing_?" I ignored him and proceeded to pry open the emergency door with my daggers. When there was a large enough dent, I yanked it open with my hands.

"It's better if you forget what you saw here," I told him. "Now get out while you can!" The park ranger didn't say anything else as the rest of the passengers ran out the emergency doors quickly without a second glance, the ranger followed soon after. I paused and looked at the open exit, I  _could_  get away, but I would be leaving Percy alone with the two monsters, and he needed all the help he could get.

I observed the scenario before making my move. I saw how Echidna wasn't really doing much; it was her son that was doing all the work, but the Chimera alone was making Percy fight for his life. He was outnumbered, but not for long.

I charged from behind, wiping out my daggers quickly, the serpent noticed me, and aimed its poisonous fangs at me. I dodged quickly and leaped high into the air, bringing both of my daggers down at rapid speed as I sliced off the Chimera's tail. The Chimera roared in pain, Percy dodged quickly to the side as it swerved around to face me, its eyes glittering with blood-lust. As it bent down and tried to bite my head off, I raised my daggers above my head, managing a stab at the lion head's face, it flinched back in pain as the diamondback on its right attacked with its horns, I blocked it with both daggers in crisscross formation. It continued to press down on me, until it suddenly lunged upward. I looked up and saw Percy literally piggy-back riding the Chimera-his sword embedded deep in the back of the Chimera.

I placed my daggers quickly into my belt and set up my bow just as fast. I was about to aim into its open mouth when Echidna decided to make her move. She had sneaked up from behind, her claws causing a deep gash across my back. I lowered my bow instantly, gritting my teeth in order to silence the scream. I stumbled, my hands on the ground, and my back felt like it was on fire. Taking advantage of my disabled state, Echidna quickly wrapped her scaly long tail over my body, and dragged me towards her until we were face to face.

"I knew I should not underestimate  _you_ ," she hissed, her clawed fingers leaving bloody scars on one side of my face. I fought the urge to squeeze my eyes shut and with difficulty, I shrugged to stay attentive. "Such smooth skin…I wonder how it will feel if it were  _mince meat_." I tried to move my hands, feeling where I left my daggers, but that proved to be useless, as her tail tightened around my waist, crushing me and leaving me gasping. I couldn't breathe.

"You will pay for your mother's crimes against my children," Echidna whispered. "Now die _."_  She tightened her hold, and I clenched my eyes involuntarily, as pain shot throughout my body.

Suddenly, there was a resounding crash, and Echidna's hold around me loosened. I was on my knees choking as I looked up to survey my surroundings. The Chimera had crashed into its mother, causing the glass to break. Cold air swept in from the gaps as the two monsters fell over the edge, and crashed into the river below. That was when I felt the ground  _tilt_. The damage from our intense fighting must have loosened the suspenders that secured the trolley. I noticed Percy struggling to stand properly from the other side of the platform. There were cuts and bruises all over his arms and face, and his right leg was bleeding from a ghastly bite mark.

I was still face down on the floor, I couldn't seem to get up. Somehow, I knew that I had numerous broken bones, which meant I was as good as handicapped. Percy stared at me, his face in a trance. I wondered if he was in shock. The precarious creaking sounds I heard outside and around didn't help ease the tension.

I broke the silence with a gasp. "Get out that door, Percy! The p-platform isn't going to hold much longer." The door was right there beside him. I knew he would make it out safely. I heard him take a step, but when I lifted my head to see if he was gone, Percy chose to make his way towards  _me._

" _What in Hades are you doing?!"_  I rasped, incredulous. "Get out! Escape!  _You can't save me!_ We'll both die if you try..." I faltered when I realized Percy wasn't listening- he still tried to reach me. The platform was shifting even more now, causing my limp body to slide closer to the edge. I faced the ground, clenching my hands in regret: Percy was risking his life to save mine. While that made me happy, I couldn't help but feel ashamed. If Percy died, the Quest would end in failure, and it would be all  _my fault_  if WWIII broke out. It was my fault for getting caught off-guard by Echidna. If I was stronger, then I'd be able to save myself and not risk someone else's.

Miraculously, Percy eventually got close enough to kneel down and offer his hand.

"Seth,  _grab on,_ " he said firmly, his eyes glaring into mine. I nearly flinched at the intensity. Shakily, I reached for his hand, my fingertips barely brushing his. I tried reaching closer, but I couldn't- Not without tipping the balance and sending us both crashing over 1000 meters above water. My back ached, I knew at least one of my ankles was broken, I couldn't get any closer.

I forcefully looked away from Percy. "Just go. It's no use. I can't-!"

" _Yes, you can_!" he yelled, startling me. "Now grab my hand, you stubborn idiot!  _We're going to make one big splash."_  My jaw nearly dropped.

I stuttered, " _W-what? A-at this height?! Are you insane?!"_ When he gave a grin, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"I'm a son of Poseidon, remember?" he said. "Water won't harm me, even Echidna told me so." He tried moving closer. "NOW GRAB MY HAND!" He lunged forward...

...and the entire platform tipped over.

-o-

 


	14. The God of War

Have you ever seen one of those movies where time slowed down whenever a hero leaped off a cliff to save someone?

The truth? Time did not stopped, nor did it slow down...

It went on hyper-drive.

In a matter of milliseconds, my whole body crash landed on the surface of the water. The impact was nearly enough to crush my spine, which thankfully, didn't. Large pieces of the damaged Arch fell around me. Smoke filled the air as the burning bits and pieces were relieved by the water. I was lucky none of them fell on me.

I panted as I kicked this way and that, my movements sluggish in the water. I struggled heavily to just keep myself afloat. I tried waving my arms for help, but I soon grew tired from the effort. I looked around desperately. I couldn't see Percy anywhere. We were just inches away before we both took a forced sky dive. Now, he was nowhere in sight.

A floating piece of wood floated by, and I grasped it eagerly. I gave a yelp when it threatened to sink under due to my pressuring weight.

"Percy!" I rasped, frantic. " _W-where are you? Percy_!" I looked to my left, my right, everywhere, but there was no sign of him. I was out in the middle of nowhere. I couldn't even see the shore.

As I floated along the water's current, a white ship liner started coming from my right. I waved rapidly.

" _Help!"_ I screamed. "Help! I'm over here!" But the ship paid me no mind as it sailed past me. There were no passengers out on deck, no one to notice me. The piece of wood I held on to started to crack, and eventually broke in two. I shrieked in horror, flailing my arms helplessly as the heaviness of my clothes tried to pull me down. All the while screaming like a little girl.

I didn't know how to swim.

My arms and whole body began to tire, my injured back still stung from Echidna's earlier attack, and the bleeding cuts from my arms and face didn't soften things up either. Eventually, my body started to protest against the movement, and gradually, my entire being began to sink. As I plunged underwater, with water rushing into my lungs, I lifted my head slowly towards the surface, the light above slowly dissolving as I sunk under. I closed my eyes…

…and entered oblivion.

-o-

_Percy's POV_

There were three things I discovered when I went underwater.

One: I was completely healed.

Two (and yeah, this actually came second) I was _breathing_ underwater. I was completely fine, which led me to my third discovery:

Seth was _gone_.

I couldn't believe we got separated! I was this close, _this close,_ to grabbing the stubborn guy's hand, and he _actually_ managed to slip past my fingers. Now, he could be floating around somewhere, completely lost.

_Way to go Percy_ , I scolded myself.

After getting the message from the underwater lady, I set course on finding my missing friend. At first, I thought Seth had managed to safely get back on land, but when I found Annabeth, she told me she still hasn't seen him, which meant he was still out there. I immediately dived back into the water, searching for any sign of him. What I did find so far was Seth's bow that he dropped back at the Arch. I hoped to find its owner soon.

As I swam around looking effortlessly for him, a voice in my mind spoke:

_Swim right for 50 meters._

Huh. So I had a built in GPS now? Just where was the voice leading me? I did exactly as the voice said.

_Swim left for another 10 feet._

Again, I did as I was told, and as I closed in on my destination _,_ I noticed a vague floating body, and when I got closer, I widened my eyes and swam even harder when I realized it was _Seth's body_.

I grabbed hold of Seth's almost lifeless body as I hoisted both of us towards the surface. I let out of gasp as air rushed into my lungs. Seth was unconscious still, his head inclined on my shoulder. I lifted a hand to feel his pulse. I nearly gasped in relief when I felt it: very faint, but there nonetheless.

"You better not die on me, buddy." I muttered, adjusting my hands around Seth's waist.

We quickly made our way to shore.

-o-

"This is my entire fault," Annabeth chastised herself, as she knelt down beside Seth's drenched body. "I should have listened! He tried warning us, and what did I do? I ignored it and this is what happens!" She had already got out our pack of ambrosia and nectar, and proceeded to force feed the patient. I had volunteered to do CPR, but Annabeth opposed, saying how we may not know what other injuries Seth had sustained during the fight. A pounding to the chest may end up doing more harm than good.

We were inside a motel room. Seth was placed on the bed, with Annabeth beside him. Getting to this place was like a three day trek through the mountains. With news reporters and cops swarming all over the place looking for me, and carrying an unconscious body to boot, it was definitely not a walk in the park.

I glanced away from the windows and look towards the bed. Despite the amount of ambrosia and nectar that Wise Girl managed to have him swallow, his condition didn't seem to get any better. His face, with its slowly vanishing scars, was deathly pale. His dark auburn hair was dried (thanks to Annabeth) as was his clothes, but the scrunched up look on his face made you think he was _freezing_.

"How is he?" I asked Annabeth as I sat down beside her.

Annabeth's eyes furrowed in confusion. "He should be getting better soon, yet he's not. I mean, his injuries are healing…" She gave a light touch to his hand. "But his skin is icy cold. It's not normal."

"So he's sick?"

"Maybe," she said, "but the ambrosia and nectar should have taken care of that. I've already given him so much that having an ounce more could be fatal, and he still hasn't woke up yet."

We sat there in silence as the clock ticked away from the other side of the room. I got up and stretched, while Annabeth remained seated, analyzing Seth's condition.

"You know, now that I think about it," she started, "Seth looks _a lot_ like someone."

I raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

She nodded, "I just can't remember who though."

"Maybe it's someone from camp?" I suggested.

She shook her head, "I don't think so. I think it was-!" She paused, her eyes widened as she stared at Seth. She looked shocked.

"It can't be…" she muttered.

I noted this change with confusion. "Are you okay? You seem rather…off."

"Percy," Annabeth said quietly. "Can I ask you something?" The tone of her voice put me on edge. Was something seriously wrong?

"Sure," I said slowly. "What is it?"

"Did Seth ever mention any hint of his godly parent?" I frowned.

"Seth's unclaimed remember? He doesn't know who his godly parent is." I didn't know why I lied, but I remembered how Seth wanted me to keep his identity of his parent a secret. "This really isn't any of our business..."

"I know, I know," Annabeth said, "but I wasn't going to ask who it is. I'm only wondering if _Seth_ knows."

"Actually, I think he _may_ have mentioned how he knew already." I admitted, seeing how it wasn't giving away anything. I assumed Seth would be fine with it.

Annabeth didn't say anything. She looked down, her eyes narrowed in concentration as if figuring out a Sudoku puzzle, and then she suddenly blurted out:

"What is his eye color?" Annabeth asked me.

" _Huh?"_ What did that have to do with anything?

Annabeth only repeated her question.

"I think it was grey or something...why you ask?" To be honest, I rather try to avoid Seth's gaze, especially whenever he's frustrated or angry. The way he would narrow his eyes ever so slightly, his eyes unflinching-it was rather intimidating. He really pulled off the ' _looks can kill'_ concept flawlessly in my opinion. I witnessed it before during his archery practices, when he became frustrated that his arrow happened to be a _micro-millimeter_ away from the center. I also noticed it when he was pissed off with the Stoll brothers for stealing something of his a few days before the Quest.

"Nothing…just curious," Annabeth said. Now _that_ got me suspicious, Wise Girl was _never_ just curious about anything.

"Annabeth…is something wrong?" I asked. "Is something wrong with Seth?"

Annabeth hesitated before answering. "No…nothing's the matter. Forget I said anything." She stood up from her chair, "How about we get some rest? We'll be staying here for the night anyway. With Seth like this, we should freshen up as much as we can."

I nodded. "That's a good idea, but…" I glanced around the room, noticing how there were only two beds, one of them already occupied. "D-do you want the bed? Or should I just…"

Annabeth blushed lightly, "I'll take the bed. There's also the couch." I nodded absentmindedly as I settled myself down on the other side of the room. Propping up the pillow and getting the spare covers from the closet.

"So…lights out?" I called to Annabeth once I got into a comfy position. She gave a brief smile.

"Lights out," she answered. She flicked the light switch, and the room instantly became void.

-o-

_Seth's POV_

I didn't know how long I stayed unconscious.

I had no sense of time, no idea of where I was. For all I knew, I could still be at the depths of the Mississippi River. Was I even alive? I probably was. Dead people didn't feel pain, at least, I didn't think so.

My entire body felt like it was being roasted alive. Searing pain clawed at my insides. I was incapable of movement, for even the slightest twitch of a finger would create new waves of burning agony. What could have caused such pain? Was Echidna's attack on me poisonous? Probably. Eventually, I started feeling a little relieved, like drops of cold water being drenched on a burnt log. Soon, those drops became cups, and just as gradually, the pain started to ebb away, and the burning was soon replaced with a severe chill that felt very _relaxing_.

When I finally did open my eyes, I realized I was placed on a bed. The room was dimly lit, the sun rising (or was it setting?) over the distance. I sat up, looked around, and noticed Percy asleep on the couch on my far left, and Annabeth was also asleep on the other twin bed beside me. They must be really tired.

But how did I get here? I gave a glance at Percy, and a wave of gratitude washed over me. This time, I owed him a big one.

I slowly got up and moved around, testing my limits. Being discreet as to not wake them, I slowly walked to one end of the room to the other. I stumbled a couple of times due to my bad ankle, but it felt much better than before. When I practiced enough, I decided to take a shower. I took out the spare clothes I packed in my bag, and I was soon being rinsed with hot, steaming water in no time. I couldn't remember the last time I bathed.

When I got out of the bathroom, dressed with a plain white T-shirt and a pair of dark jeans, Percy and Annabeth were still asleep, stirring slightly. I gave a glance at the clock. 7: 46 AM. It was still pretty early, I was sure the two of them will be hungry by the time they wake up. With that in mind, I took out a bit of the cash, grabbed a spare key, and went outside of the motel room, heading towards the first decent place to buy food.

-o-

"That would be thirteen dollars and fifty cents," the cashier said as I placed my order. I hastily grabbed out a ten and a five dollar bill, and waited patiently for the change.

"Here you go," the cashier replied, handing me the bag that would be our breakfast. "Have a good day."

"You too, ma'am." I replied back. I held the plastic bag of cinnamon rolls and fresh bread sticks along with three cans of soda in my other bag as I walked back to the motel room. The smell of the freshly baked goodies was making my mouth water.

When I reached the motel, I was about to take out my key when the door suddenly swung open with a very hysterical looking Annabeth.

" _Where in Hades' name were you?"_ she exclaimed. Before I could reply, she suddenly wrapped her arms around my shoulders, hugging me tightly.

"Uh…are you alright Annabeth?" I said, struggling to keep my balance. She let go of me hastily and mustered a stern look, her face a little red.

" _Explain_." she said. I almost gulped.

"I…uh…" Percy suddenly came by the door, his face looking relieved when he saw me.

"Seth! You're alright!" he exclaimed. "Wise Girl thought you got kidnap-!"

" _I did not_." Annabeth protested. "That was _your_ insane idea."

"Was not."

"Was too."

"Whoa," I said. "What is this about me getting kidnapped? I only went out to get us some breakfast."

"Breakfast?" Percy repeated. He gave a dreamy like look as he licked his lips in hunger. "Alright, you're forgiven." I rolled my eyes.

"And just _how_ were we supposed to know where you were?" Annabeth said to me as she narrowed her eyes slightly, intimidating me. " _You left no note_."

"I…uh- forgot?" I said sheepishly. "Look…can we discuss this inside? My arms are getting tired." They parted ways as I made my way inside the room and set down the food.

As we ate, I couldn't shrug off the feeling that someone was constantly watching me, staring at me when they thought I wasn't looking. When I looked up from my food and caught Annabeth's gaze, she looked away quickly. I raised an eyebrow…Annabeth sure was odd today.

"Hey um, Percy," I said quietly. He looked up.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for saving me." I said, looking down so I wouldn't have to see his face, slightly embarrassed. "If it wasn't for you, I would most likely…not be alive right now. Thank you." I looked up slightly to see Percy smiling.

"We're friends aren't we?" he said, his hand grasped my shoulder. "We look out for each other. You do the same for me, wouldn't you?"

I widened my eyes slightly. Did he just…? I gave a small smile.

"Yeah, of course." Percy gave a smirk and let go of my shoulder.

"You should thank Wise Girl," he said as I looked towards Annabeth. "She's the one who 'nursed you back to life' and all that."

"It was nothing," she muttered. "It was my fault for wanting to go on the Arch in the first place, so it was only right."

"Either way, thank you Annabeth," I said sincerely. "Thanks to you both."

"Don't mention it," Percy said while munching into another cinnamon roll, "I am _more than willing_ to save anyone who buys me breakfast in the morning."

I laughed. "You're welcome."

"But now that I think about it," Percy said. "It wouldn't have been possible for me to rescue you without that voice giving me directions."

I stopped eating. "Voice?"

Percy nodded. "It was really weird…like some GPS was installed in my head. She gave me directions to find you. It would have taken me _ages_ without the help."

"Is that so," I muttered. "Do you have any idea who was talking to you?"

Percy shook his head. "I didn't recognize it. Some woman."

"Maybe you've got a goddess looking after you Seth," Annabeth suggested. "That could be it."

I unintentionally narrowed my eyes, and scoffed. "As if _she'll_ help me."

"As if who'll help you?" Percy said questionably.

Oh shit. Did I _really_ just say that out loud?

"Nothing," I said hastily. Percy just shrugged it off. Annabeth threw me a couple suspicious looks before focusing on her food again.

-o-

After we finished eating and checked out, we soon boarded the train ride west. We were once again getting back on track. Thanks to my predicament, we now had 7 days left before the Summer Solstice. It seemed like a lot of time, but we didn't know what may happen. We needed all the time we could get.

By the time we reached into Denver, we decided to take a rest stop along the way before getting back on the train. Annabeth also decided we should send in an Iris Message to camp.

Using a hose from an empty-do-it-yourself car wash, I lifted the spray gun high as Annabeth said the prayer to Iris; tossing in one of the golden drachmas afterwards.

"Uh…what are you guys doing?" Percy said confused.

I explained. "It's Iris-Messaging."

"You mean like ' _I-Ming'?_ " I nodded.

"The rainbow goddess Iris carries messages for the gods. If you know how to ask, and she's not too busy, she'll do the same for half-bloods." Annabeth further explained.

"So you summon the goddess with _a spray gun_?" Percy asked.

I shrugged. "It's one way to make a rainbow." I looked towards the wave of mist, "We should be having some connection soon." Just when I said those words, the screen of mist suddenly shimmered and the Big House soon came into view, from what I could see, Luke was standing on the platform; his back facing us.

Percy called, "Luke!" Luke turned around, startled. When he saw who it was, he gave a grin.

"Percy! And is that Seth and Annabeth? Thank the gods. Are you guys okay?"

Annabeth blushed. "We're…uh…fine." She straightened herself the best she could. "We thought...Chiron, I mean..."

"He's down at the cabins," Luke replied, his grin disappearing. "There has been issues going on at camp. Chiron had to-!" We couldn't hear him anymore when some big truck with loud booming music drove into the gas station, Luke also noticed. "What is that noise?"

"We'll take care of it," Annabeth said, dragging me along.

"Wait-what are you…" Annabeth silenced me with a look.

"Just give Percy the nozzle and help me deal with this." she said. I reluctantly handed the hose to Percy and followed behind Annabeth. We walked towards the two guys that owned the big truck, the loud horrific music still turned on full blast. Judging by how pissed off Annabeth looked, things were about to get ugly.

"What are we going to do?" I asked Annabeth.

"First, we're going to ask _nicely_ ," Annabeth said with a glare. "If they don't listen, then we'll have to use force."

Yup, definitely ugly.

"Whatever you say." I said. When we finally approached the two men, I walked up to one of them and tapped them on the shoulder. The man turned around, his dark shades were on, and his face just reminded me of a pig.

"What d'ya want brat?" he said. My eyebrow twitched from the insult, but I managed to refrain myself from over-reacting.

"Can you turn your music down?" I said loudly. I could barely hear myself talk. "Our friend is using the phone."

"Shove off," the man said, "tell your _friend_ to go someplace else." But I wouldn't let this go.

"Can you just turn it down a notch?" I demanded. " _How can you even hear anything_?"

The pig man apparently took my comment as an insult. "Are you callin' me deaf, twerp?"

I narrowed my eyes slightly, mustering up the worst glare I could manage. "Maybe I am." Alright so _maybe_ I was acting rashly, but this guy was asking for it.

But before any of us made a move, the pig man's companion suddenly gave a yell. The music was turned off, car doors were slammed, and pig-man 2 suddenly jerked to the ground. Pig man himself was suddenly flung to the side by some unseen force, and was dragged across the floor roughly. That was when I noticed the shadows on the ground. One of them was pig man's while the other….

"I was wondering where you disappeared to," I said when Annabeth re-materialized. The two thugs were already on the truck, scrambling for the keys. The truck soon backed out quickly, and was racing out of the gas station in seconds.

"You asked nicely," she said. "They didn't listen. I simply did my part." She said it as if it made perfect sense.

"I could have handled it," I muttered. Annabeth only rolled her eyes.

"Although I gotta admit…" I stifled a chuckle. "That was pretty funny."

Annabeth gave a laugh. "You got a point there."

By the time we reached Percy, the Iris Message was already shimmering away. Percy had his back towards us when we approached, when he turned around to greet us, his expression deadened…like he saw a ghost.

"Is something the matter?" I asked him.

He blinked once before answering. "No…it's nothing." I narrowed my eyes slightly, and he avoided my gaze, almost guilty. He's definitely hiding something. Percy wasn't a good liar, the way he shifted uncomfortably in his stance and his eyes darting everywhere but my gaze, Luke must have mentioned something bad.

"What did Luke say?" Annabeth inquired. "Did he mention anything important?"

"Nothing," he insisted. "Come on, let's go get some dinner. I'm starving."

-o-

We found ourselves in the middle of a fast food restaurant. The place was slightly crowded; children and their parents were sipping soft drinks and making loud crunchy noises. My stomach grumbled, I hadn't ate anything since the train ride, and we only had a few measly dollars left, not enough to feed three starving kids. This place wasn't exactly cheap. I was crossing my arms, trying to prevent any growls from escaping my stomach. Annabeth placed both hands on the table, as if steadying herself. She looked faint. Percy looked about ready to munch anything he found edible.

When a waitress finally came to our table, her eyes full of suspicion and distrust, like she couldn't believe three kids with no adults could be here with good reason. "Well?"

Percy answered her after straightening himself. "Um…we would like to order dinner."

"You kids have money to pay for it?" she asked skeptically.

"Um, actually…" I mumbled, as I dug into my jacket pocket, but before I handed over the last of our cash- a loud roaring noise parked itself outside the restaurant.

All eyes turned to the source of the noise, as the front doors of the diner opened: revealing a tall, muscular, darkly dressed man in his mid-twenties. He had an oily black crew cut that resembled one of those military hair styles. His red-wrapped around shades seemed to glow with an orange tint. Overall, his appearance was either that of a pro-wrestler or of a high military general that had seen too much violence.

As he walked into the diner, all the people around us seem to rise up simultaneously. It was only when the man waved his hand that the people sat back down, looking mesmerized. As he walked closer to our table, it suddenly hit me. This man's aura was _godly._

As the man sat down besides Annabeth (who unfortunately was crushed to the side of the window to make room), the waitress didn't seem to notice anything amiss as she stood there with her mouth agape. Almost by the click of a button, the waitress recovered, still stunned.

The waitress repeated, "you kids have money to pay for it?"

"It's on me," the man said arrogantly, he stretched out his muscled arms in the already crowded booth, causing Annabeth to shift nervously. The waitress however, still stared at the man as if he just popped out of nowhere.

The man looked at her, an amused smile on his scarred face. "Are you still here?" Then, he pointed at her, and turned his finger swiftly, and the waitress immediately spun around and marched back to where she came from like a robot. That one action told me two things about this god. One, he was used to getting his way and two, this guy wasn't afraid to _force_ his way.

The god looked at Percy, giving a smirk. Percy looked like he was ready to leap out of his chair and choke the man to death.

"So you're old Seaweed's kid, huh?" he said cockily.

Percy narrowed his eyes. "What's it to you?"

Annabeth warned, "Percy, this is-!" The man raised a hand to stop her.

"S' okay," he said, "I don't mind a little attitude. Long as you remember who's the boss. You know who I am, little cousin?"

Percy paused for a moment before answering. "You're Clarisse's dad. _Ares, god of war._ "

No wonder this guy seemed vicious, but why would a god of war be here?

Ares grinned, and took off his shades. His eyes were like black charcoal lit with red flames, giving him an even more intimidating look. "That's right, punk. I heard you broke Clarisse's spear."

"She was asking for it."

"Probably. That's cool. I don't fight my kids' fights, you know? What I'm here for—I heard you were in town. I got a little proposition for you." Before he got into the specifics, the waitress had returned with the food, Ares casually dropped a few golden drachmas into her hand.

The waitress had a startled look, "But, these aren't…" She faltered when Ares suddenly pulled out his gigantic knife, and started cleaning his fingernails.

"Problem, _sweetheart_?"

The waitress visibly gulped, and quickly left with the gold.

I found this action disturbing. "You can't do that. You can't just threaten people like that." Ares turned his attention to me, and gave me a laugh.

"Huh, what's this?" he said coyly, smirking widely. "Mr. Sunshine really wasn't kidding. Tell me, how does it feel to be _second-rate_?"

My face was literally seething with rage. Annabeth placed a hand on mine, her expression asking me what was wrong. I gave a convincing smile and forced myself to calm down.

"He's right, you know," Percy said, backing me up. "You can't threaten people with a knife."

Ares laughed. "Are you kidding? I love this country. Best place since Sparta. Don't you carry a weapon, punk? You should. Dangerous world out there. Which brings me to my proposition. I need you to do me a favor."

"What favor could I do for a god?" Percy questioned.

Ares shrugged. "Something a god doesn't have time to do himself. It's nothing much. I left my shield at an abandoned water park here in town. I was going on a little…date with my girlfriend. We were interrupted. I left my shield behind. I want _you_ to fetch it for me."

Percy retorted, "why don't you go back and get it yourself?" Ares' eyes glowed brighter.

"Why don't I turn you into a prairie dog and run you over with my Harley? Because _I don't feel like it_. A god is giving you an opportunity to prove yourself, Percy Jackson. Will you prove yourself a coward?" He leaned towards him. "Or maybe, you fight when there's a river to dive into, so your daddy can protect you."

Percy bristled at the insult. His hands were clenching the edge of the table, as if trying to refrain from punching Ares. "We're not interested. We already got a Quest."

Ares' face turned red. He apparently wasn't used to rejection. "I know all about your _little_ quest, punk. When that _item_ was first stolen, Zeus sent his best out looking for it: Apollo, Athena, Artemis, and me, naturally. If I couldn't sniff out a weapon that powerful…" He licked his lips hungrily. "Well, if I couldn't find it, you got no hope. Nevertheless, I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt. Your dad and I go way back. After all, I'm the one who told him my suspicions about Corpse Breath."

"Wait, y-you're the one who told Zeus about Hades?" Annabeth said in surprise.

Ares nodded. "Sure. Framing somebody to start a war. Oldest trick in the book. I recognized it immediately. In a way, you got me to thank for your little quest."

"Thanks," Percy grumbled, not thankful at all.

"Hey, I'm a generous guy. Just do my little job, and I'll help you on your way. I'll arrange a ride west for you and your friends."

"We're doing fine on our own."

Ares snorted. "Yeah right. No money. No wheels. No clue what you're up against. Help me out, and maybe I'll tell you something you need to know. Something about your mom."

_Oh no_ , I thought. I glanced at Percy. _Don't fall for it. Don't fall for it. Don't fall for-!_

"My mom?" Percy said, his eyes widening.

He fell for it.

Ares grinned. "That got your attention. The water park is a mile west on Delancy. You can't miss it. Look for the Tunnel of Love ride."

"What interrupted your date?" Percy taunted. " _Something scare you off?"_ For a moment, I thought Ares was going to obliterate Percy right on the spot. I didn't like Ares, but pissing him off didn't do much good either.

Thankfully, Ares only bared his teeth, and threw a glare. "You're lucky you met me, punk, and not one of the other Olympians. They're not as forgiving of rudeness as I am. I'll meet you back here when you're done. Don't disappoint me."

Afterwards, Percy suddenly slouched back, knocked out unconscious. I helped him back up as Ares stood up and left our table. When he was about to exit the diner, he threw me an amused glance.

"Tell your mom I said hello," he said with that irritating smirk of his. I bit back my retort, as he walked up to his Harley and a second later, vanished without a trance. Annabeth looked like she wanted to question me, but I was saved when Percy chose that moment to wake up.

"This...isn't good." Annabeth muttered instead, "Ares sought you out Percy. This isn't good at all."

"It's probably some kind of trick," Percy said. "Forget Ares. Let's just go."

I nodded, "I agree. I don't trust Ares."

"We can't," Annabeth said. "Look, I hate Ares as much as anybody, but you don't ignore the gods unless you want serious bad fortune. He wasn't kidding about turning you into a rodent."

"But why does he need us?" Percy asked.

"Maybe it's more convenient?" I thought briefly. "We're probably the closest to this Water Park he went to. The sooner he gets his shield, the happier he'll be."

Still. Why did he use _us_ and not one of his underlings?

"Or maybe," Annabeth said. "It's a problem that requires brains. Ares has strength. That's all he has. Even strength has to bow to wisdom sometimes."

Percy considered our suggestions. "But this water park…he acted almost _scared_. What would make a war god run away like that?"

I glanced at Annabeth, and noticed how she was looking at me for an answer. We didn't know, and frankly, I didn't _want_ to know.

"I'm afraid we'll just have to find out." Annabeth said ominously.

-o-


	15. Sharing Stories

It was late by the time we reached the Water Park entrance. After I climbed over the gate, and unlocked it from the inside, we were finally on our way to retrieving Ares' lost shield.

I had thought that Ares and his girlfriend would have better taste. This theme park was literally breaking itself apart. Old, deserted booths and creaking rides greeted us as we searched for the _Tunnel of Love_ ride.

"If Ares brings his girlfriend here for a date," Percy said, breaking the eerie silence, "I'd hate to see what she looks like." I nodded in agreement while looking around.

"Percy," Annabeth started, "be more respectful."

Percy scoffed. "Why? I thought you hated Ares."

"He's still a god, and his girlfriend is very temperamental," she said.

I raised an eyebrow. "Who _is_ his girlfriend?"

"Is it Echidna?" Percy asked. "I wouldn't be surprised."

" _Aphrodite_ ," Annabeth corrected, "the goddess of love."

I huffed under my breath and muttered, "why is _that_ not surprising to me?"

"But I thought she was married to somebody," Percy said. "Hephaestus."

"She's shallow," I said in distaste, "which is ironic, seeing as what she stands for isn't suppose to be." I have seen how the Aphrodite kids behaved: all spoiled and self-absorbed. I couldn't really blame them for inheriting their mother's negative characteristics.

"Oh."

We suddenly stopped when Annabeth noticed a souvenir shop. The racks were piled up with an assortment of fresh T-shirts, shorts, arm bands, key chains, etc. The store was empty.

"Clothes," Annabeth muttered as she walked over, glancing at the items from the window. "Fresh clothes…"

"Annabeth," I warned.

Percy protested, "you can't just..."

"Watch me." With that said, she snatched a whole row of various items off the rack. A few moments later, she was officially a Water park advertisement. Seeing how no one said anything, I shrugged, and Percy and I also went in and got changed.

There was still no sign of the Tunnel of Love ride as walked further into the park. For once, there were no monsters present-none of them hiding about and ready to ambush us when we're not looking. This place was a ghost town.

"So Ares and Aphrodite," Percy started again, "they have a thing going?"

"That's old gossip, Percy. _Three thousand year old_ gossip." Annabeth emphasized.

"What about Hephaestus?"

I answered, "according to the myths, he was born crippled and tossed off of Mount Olympus by Zeus. So he isn't exactly…attractive. He's a skilled blacksmith, but since the _goddess of love_ isn't into talent, you see what happens."

"So she likes bikers?" I rolled my eyes.

"Apparently."

"And does Hephaestus know?"

"Oh sure," Annabeth said. "He caught them together once. I mean, he literally caught them, in a golden net, and invited all the gods to come and laugh at them. Hephaestus is always trying to embarrass them. That's why they meet in out-of-the-way places, like…" She stopped as she spotted something ahead of her. "Like that."

We have arrived at our destination: The Tunnel of Love ride, and located at the bottom of the pool was the shiny bronze shield of a certain god of war.

I frowned. His shield was right there, out in plain view, and Ares _forgot_ it? Seeing as how he was a god of war, shouldn't his weapons be his top priority? Something wasn't right. This was all…

_Too easy_.

"This is too easy," Percy said, voicing my thoughts. "So we just walk down there and get it?"

"I don't see any monsters or any people," Annabeth said, looking around. She stood beside a cupid statue, glazing her hand over the white stone. "Hey look…there's a Greek letter carved here, Eta. I wonder…."

"Okay, let's do this," Percy muttered. "Annabeth, come on-!"

"Are you kidding me?" Annabeth said, her face slightly pink. "Me….go on the Thrill Ride of Love? How embarrassing is that? What if someone saw me?"

"Who's going to see you?" Percy retorted, his face even redder than Annabeth's. He looked at me. "How about you, Seth? Since Annabeth apparently feels _embarrassed_."

"Whatever," I replied. "Let's just get this done."

Percy nodded, and called, "Annabeth, since you're staying here, keep a look out."

Annabeth huffed, crossing her arms. Her face was still pink. "I know that without you telling me." She stomped away before either of us can give a reply.

"Girls," Percy said. "Why are they so complicated?"

I stared at him in disbelief. "How would I know?"

We drew closer to the boat. The sides were filled with mirrors, _literally_ filled with mirrors. Everywhere I looked, I saw myself. Or at least-what I thought was myself.

I've aged…noticeably. There were dark rims under my eyes, my hair was still slightly messy, and the side of my hair has reached passed the tips of my ears. My skin seemed paler in contrast with my hair color. My face seemed to have sharper features. I looked 15 rather than 13. I looked half-dead.

_Did I always look like this?_

Percy picked up a pink laurel scarf that was beside the shield. As I got closer, I caught a whiff of a revolting stench that probably came from the scarf.

"Ugh, put that down!" I said, clenching my nose.

Percy looked at me strangely, still having the scarf in his hands. "What's wrong?"

"Just put it down! Please, the smell is killing me." Percy, noticing my insistence, dropped the scarf.

"I don't smell anything," Percy said. "The scarf doesn't seem that bad. It smells rather…nice." He had a dreamy look on his face.

"Well, it smells _horrible_ to me. Just put it away." I said, as Percy shoved the pink scarf into his backpack. Now, we were left with the shield.

Percy's hand was millimeters away from the shield, I noticed something. I yanked Percy's hand away.

"Ow! What was that for?" Percy protested. I ignored him as I inspected the area. A moment later, I gave a chuckle. If I wasn't standing at the right angle or if I hadn't noticed that glimmer of light just then, I would have missed it.

"He's not bad at all." I muttered, smiling briefly.

"Um, Seth, what are you talking about?" Percy questioned. I ignored him as I proceeded to analyze the contraption:

"Around 6.5 nanometers thick of light nylon-possibly steel, easily breakable with a single touch. Shield around 28 inches wide in radius, degree of convex around 35 degrees. Wire should be spread out-about 5 nanometers from the surface of said target..."

"Whoa! Seth, what are you saying?" Percy said, frustrated. " _Speak English."_

I answered bluntly. "It's a trap."

"Yeah, I sort of figure that out when you grabbed my hand," he said sarcastically. "What sort of trap?"

"Trip wire. See that?" I pointed at one of the more visible wires. "There's like tons of those surrounding the surface of that shield. And if you had touched the shield even lightly…" I gave a glance around, noticing the ends of the wire attached to different parts of the structure around us. "It would have triggered what appear to be arrows from those cupid statues."

"Great," Percy said, putting a hand to his forehead. "So what do we do? How are we going to get the shield out?"

I inspected the wires closely. "There is no way out of it really-he made sure of that. I think we'll just have to trigger the trap at a safer distance, which should be around... 25 meters."

"But how will we reach the shield and not get caught?" Percy asked.

I grinned; A plan forming so quickly in my mind, Annabeth would be jealous.

_"Leave it to me."_

-o-

It was a good thing that I was an expert in archery, because the use of long range weapons was essential in order to make this plan work.

It was a simple plan really, once Percy and I climbed up the slope and sat inside an empty control booth. I notched my arrow at the ready, and aimed at the edge of the shield; causing it to tilt and at the same time, activate the trap.

We watched idly as the trap unfolded itself. A dozen or so cupids came to life and shot arrows at the corners of the towering walls, creating a golden net over the clearing. Spotlights were shot from the sides towards the middle of the rim- exactly where the shield was. What I didn't expect were the robotic spiders that immediately filled up the entire area. They rummaged around, looking for their intended targets. An announcer had come on, saying how it would be broadcasting live on Olympus in less than 30 seconds.

"Wow," Percy said in awe as he stared at what could have been our fate down there. "Am I glad I'm not down there." He looked at me in curiosity. "Where did you learn about spotting traps?"

I lied. "Camp."

He nodded, believing my words. His belief in me made me feel guilty. I didn't like lying, but I couldn't let slip any hints of my identity. Who knew how Percy would react?

Soon enough, the cameras were rolling as time was up. The cupids programmed to fly here and there around the rim of the pool. Olympus must be wondering where the stars of the show were. One of them eventually notice us at the booth, and quickly came over and started filming.

"Hey look Percy," I said lazily, stretching my arms out while yawning, "it's a cupid."

Percy laughed, raising a waving hand. "How about we say _hello_? It would be bad manners not to…especially when it's _Olympus_." I chuckled.

"Good idea. I suppose I will wave too." I said sarcastically, and started to wave, plastering on a large smile on my face.

I haven't had this much fun in a long time.

By the time the cupids returned to their places, everything else went back in order. The robotic spiders disappeared to who knew where, and the golden net began untangling itself, with the strands pulled back into the cupids' arrows. When they finished, it looked as though nothing happened.

We approached the shield cautiously, just in case. When I noticed there weren't any more wires attached, I gave Percy the okay signal, and he lifted the shield up from its resting place. Nothing happened.

The two of us walked out of the Tunnel of Love ride laughing as we recalled what could have been a near-death experience. Annabeth walked up to us, her gray eyes flashing when she told us she witnessed the whole thing.

"You were watching?" I asked. "I didn't see you."

"I used these," she said, lifting up a familiar pair of sneakers.

"Those are the flying shoes Luke gave me," Percy said, "I thought they were in my backpack."

"I took them out just a while ago," she said. "You couldn't use them, so I thought I could. You know, for the 'look-out' job? Sorry for not telling you."

"It's alright," Percy said.

"I'm glad you noticed the wires, Seth," Annabeth said, shivering slightly, "I hate to think what could have happened."

"It's not a problem," I said, "but I'll admit-Hephaestus almost got me there."

"Hephaestus?" Percy asked questionably. "He was the one responsible for this?"

Annabeth nodded, "he probably wanted to catch his wife with Ares."

"Speaking of Ares," Percy said, narrowing his eyes as he said the name. "I think we deserve a small chat with him."

With that said, we quickly exited the water park, with the shield in hand. We had an appointment with a god of war.

-o-

"Well, well," Ares said as we approached, "you boys looked good on TV."

Percy glared at him. "You knew it was a trap."

Ares shrugged while sporting a wicked grin, "Bet that crippled blacksmith was surprised to see his plan foiled, and by _him_ no less." he said as he turned to me. I glowered at him.

"You're a jerk," Percy said as he roughly shoved the shield to Ares. I held my breath as I waited to see Ares' reaction, but he only ignored it as he spun the shield in the air swiftly like a pizza, and melted the shield into a bulletproof vest. He slung it across his back.

"See that truck over there?" He pointed to a wheeler parked across the street. "That's your ride. Takes you straight to L.A. with one stop in Vegas." I glanced at the faded mixed up words on the side of the bus, it read: KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL: HUMANE ZOO TRANSPORT, WARNING: LIVE WILD ANIMALS

_Oh hell no._

"You're kidding," Percy said under his breath as he looked at the wheeler incredulously.

Ares snapped his fingers. The back of the truck unlatched. "Free ride west, punk. Stop complaining. And here's a little something for doing the job."

He slung a blue nylon backpack off his handlebars, and tossed it to Percy, who caught it with ease.

"I don't want your lousy-!"

"Thank you, Lord Ares," Annabeth said, shushing Percy up in the process.

Percy reluctantly slung the backpack over his shoulder. "You still owe me one more thing. You promised me information about my mother."

"You sure you can handle the news?" He started his motorcycle. "She's not dead."

I widened my eyes at the news and glanced at Percy, he was surprised. "What do you mean?"

"I mean she was taken away from the Minotaur before she could die. She was turned into a shower of gold, right? That's metamorphosis. Not death. She's being kept."

"Kept? Why?"

Ares scoffed. "You need to study war, punk. Hostages. You take somebody to control somebody else."

"No one is controlling me," Percy said with defiance.

Ares laughed. "Oh yeah? See you around, kid."

"Lord Ares," I spoke up, something has been bothering me for a bit. "You said you already knew it was trap right?"

"Hm?"

"Don't you have like, personal _lackeys_ working for you?" I asked.

"Sure I do," he said easily, "your point?"

"Why didn't you just ask one of them to get the shield for you?" I said, as I narrowed my eyes to see his reaction,."I'm sure any of them-most likely being immortal-would do a much more sufficient job of retrieving your shield. So why us?"

Ares hesitated slightly before he shrugged. "You guys needed the help-do you not _appreciate_ it?"

"Of course we do. I was just…curious." I said calmly.

Ares nodded at me, as he revved up his Harley. "Good luck on your Quest kid. _You'll need it_." he said to Percy with a smirk, before backing up and racing down Delancy Street.

Annabeth looked at me strangely when Ares left. "Why did you ask that question?"

"I'm not sure exactly," I said honestly, "I just…feel like something isn't right."

"Hey you guys," Percy called. That was when I noticed two men wearing identical shirts that matched the wheeler. "I think we better go, if we're to ' _get our free ride'_."

-o-

The wheeler, as expected, was filthy. The only source we had was emitted from Percy's bronze sword. The animals, which I recognized as a white lion, zebra, and a stag, were locked up in their cages, looking absolutely miserable and malnourished.

_Humane transport_ …yeah right.

We huddled in the corner, away from the cages. After a while, I felt sympathy for the mistreated animals and proceeded in switching the turnips and meat that were placed in the wrong places. Percy and Annabeth also gave me a hand when they realized what I was doing.

The stag, as I got closer to its cage, kept nudging the end of its nose at me, like it wanted something. Thinking that it wanted the balloon off its horn, I urged it to come closer as I untied the string. It seemed like I did do something right, when the stag finally decided to settle down right next to me. The cage being the only barrier between us. Percy and Annabeth noticed this exchange with curiosity.

"Looks like the antelope likes you," Percy commented.

"It's not an antelope," I corrected, "it's a stag." Then I noticed how the zebra seemed to respond to Percy's movements. "Besides, I'm not the _only_ one who made a new friend."

Percy smirked. "What can I say? My father's the creator of horses."

"So a zebra is counted as a horse?" I asked skeptically. He nodded, looking proud.

"So I'm surrounded with guys with animal friends," Annabeth said, and then she sighed, "I guess I'm the only normal one here."

"As normal as a demigod could get you mean," I pointed out.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "I suppose." Then, she turned her attention to Percy, who was opening the bag of Oreos. "In the Iris Message….did Luke really say nothing?"

Percy thought about it for a moment. "Luke said you and he go way back. And he gave us an assurance that our Quest will be a success. He also mentioned how _no one will get turned into a pine tree_? What did he mean by that?"

Annabeth hesitated. "There was an incident, around 6 years ago. A satyr was assigned to bring Thalia, daughter of Zeus, to the camp. But there were complications. When Thalia was on her way to camp, she also stumbled upon two other demigods…" She trailed off as if the answer was obvious.

I recalled a certain satyr telling me this story before. "Grover was the satyr wasn't he?" Percy widened his eyes as Annabeth nodded glumly.

"Then the two demigods," Percy started, "that was you and Luke, wasn't it?"

She put down her Oreo, uneaten. "Like you said, Percy, a seven-year-old half-blood wouldn't have made it very far alone. Athena guided me towards help. Thalia was twelve. Luke was fourteen. They'd both run away from home, like me. They were happy to take me with them. They were ... amazing monster-fighters, even without training. We traveled north from Virginia without any real plans, fending off monsters for about two weeks before Grover found us."

"I remember Grover telling me this story," I said. "He still feels guilty about the whole thing."

"Does he?" Annabeth questioned, and then she sighed, "Luke and I owe Grover more than he could possibly know. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't be here today. You see, Grover had strict orders that he was only suppose to escort Thalia to camp _no matter what_ since Hades was after her. But knowing Grover, he wouldn't leave me and Luke behind." Her smile was sad. "If Thalia was here, I'm more than 100% sure she wouldn't blame Grover for what had happened."

All of us were quiet afterwards, the rattling of the cages clearly heard in the dark.

"Was Thalia your friend, Annabeth?" I asked quietly.

Annabeth smiled. "Yeah, one of the best."

"What is she like?"

She thought for a moment, and laughed. Percy and I looked at her funnily as she mustered up her response.

" _A lot_ like Percy." she said, smiling.

Percy was skeptical. "A lot like _me_?"

She nodded. "You won't _believe_ how alike the two of you are! I swear, if the two of you were to meet: You guys would either be the best of friends or the worst of enemies."

Percy's face paled slightly in the dim light. "Let's go with the best friends part."

"So they are _exactly_ alike?" I asked curiously.

"Well, maybe not _exactly_ ," Annabeth decided, and then she grinned, "for one, she isn't a seaweed brain."

"Hey!"

"But other than that, they're pretty much the same." she said. "At least, personality-wise. Why do you ask?"

I shrugged, "I'm just curious; Thalia seems like a pretty cool person. It would be great if I could actually meet her."

"Yeah…it would be great to have her back." Annabeth said softly with a small smile, reminiscing a happier time.

We sat there in silence for awhile afterwards, the stag had stopped prodding me with its nose and decided to settle down the best way it could right next to me, falling asleep peacefully. Percy seemed to looking at nothing in particular while Annabeth leaned back, her fingers twisting one of the beads this way and that.

Percy noticed. "That pine-tree bead…is that from your first year?"

Annabeth looked shocked for a moment, glancing down and removing her hand just as quickly.

"Yeah," she said. "Every August, the counselors pick the most important event of the summer, and they paint it on that year's beads. I've got Thalia's pine tree, a Greek trireme on fire, a centaur in a prom dress—now _that_ was a weird summer..."

"And the college ring is your father's?"

"That's none of your—" she stopped herself. "Yeah. Yeah, it is."

"You don't have to tell me."

"No, it's okay." She took a shaky breath. "My dad sent it to me folded up in a letter, two summers ago. The ring was, like, his main keepsake from Athena. He wouldn't have gotten through his doctoral program at Harvard without her. That's a long story. Anyway, he said he wanted me to have it. He apologized for being a jerk, said he loved me and missed me. He wanted me to come home and live with him."

I was puzzled. "What's so bad about that?"

She gave me a glance. "Yeah, well... the problem was, I believed him. I tried to go home for that school year, but my step-mom was the same as ever. She didn't want her kids put in danger by living with a _freak_. Monsters attacked. We argued. Monsters attacked. We argued. I didn't even make it through winter break. I called Chiron and came right back to Camp Half-Blood."

Percy asked, "you think you'll ever try living with your dad again?"

Annabeth looked down at her lap. "Please. I'm not into self-inflicted pain."

"I think you should try to re-establish your relationship," I said quietly, "your step-mom may not want you around, but that shouldn't stop you from trying to get along with your dad."

"I don't think you should give up either," Percy said, backing me up. "You should write him a letter or something."

"Thanks for the advice," she said coldly, "but my father made his choice about who he wants to live with."

A few moments of silence.

"So if the gods fight," Percy said, "will things line up the way they did with the Trojan War?"

Annabeth put her head against the backpack Ares had given us, and closed her eyes. "I don't know what my mom will do. I just know I'll fight next to you."

"Same here," I mentioned.

"Why?" Percy asked confused.

"We're friends," I said simply. I looked towards Annabeth and saw her agreeing with me. "You said it before, right? We look out for each other."

Percy smiled. "Thanks."

With that said, the three of us soon fell asleep.

My sleep however, didn't last for long. I didn't have any of those demigod dreams that were filled with omens and hints of the future. What I did have though, was a twisted _memory_.

It started out like always: I was standing in front of the St. Clair's Orphanage. The building was burning, its flames reaching higher than the tallest of trees, and the smoke could be seen for miles around easily. Numerous voices were inside, desperately calling for help. I wanted to help them, relieved them of their pain, help them escape. Yet I always found myself incapable. Something was always holding me back, just safely out of range.

Almost every time, I turned around to see what was anchoring me. My silver eyes would gaze directly into those cold, heartless eyes of Artemis. She would stand there, unflinching and dignified like the cold goddess she was.

" _You will always be nothing more than a tool,"_ she would tell me _, "Only to be used: Nothing more, nothing less."_

Then, she would suddenly appear in front of me, her silver arrow arched in perfect fashion. The tip of her arrow pinpointing the location of my beating heart…

I couldn't move even if I tried, I was stuck. I would look down and suddenly see the dead corpses of the once living companions that I cherished as family. Their burned up arms grasping my legs tightly, securing me in place as Artemis prepared her death blow….

" _Join us,"_ they chorused in unison. _"Join us in our demise."_ I would scream in terror and beg them to let go of me while apologizing over and over:

" _I'm sorry!"_ I would call out in desperation, as their hands reached my waist, dragging me underground. _"I'm sorry I didn't save you! I'm sorry!"_ But my pleas would always be ignored, and it was at that moment, I would turn my attention towards Artemis, and in my dream, she would repeat the same line:

" _May you rest in peace," s_ he mocked, and she released her arrow….

That was when I would wake up, like I was now, panting in fear. The sensation of an arrow going through my heart felt so real that I would instantly clench my fist over my heart, checking to see if it was still beating. I would look around my surroundings, checking to make sure there were indeed no dead corpses, no Artemis standing in front of me, her silver callous eyes staring at me as I fell dead.

This wasn't the first time I've had this nightmare. I should have gotten use to it by now. It was always the same thing over and over again. Yet as much as I hoped to shrug it off and forget about it, I couldn't. For if there was _any point_ to this nightmare it was two things: I was weak, and I was alone. No matter how hard I trained at camp, my skills were _nothing_ compared to a goddess. As much as I wanted to deny it, Artemis would _always_ be better than me, which meant she could kill me off if she so desired without batting an eyelid.

Worse of all, I had no one to support me. I knew Percy, Annabeth, and even Clare would help me if I asked, but I had no _godly_ help. Unlike the others, who had their godly parent's help at the very least, Artemis was my worst enemy. I had no encounters with the other gods besides Dionysus, Apollo, and Ares, and I highly doubt the latter would even consider it. Dionysus didn't care about demigods so he was out of the picture, and Apollo…I still wasn't sure about. But even if I had his help, if the gods as a whole decided to obliterate me, Apollo would have to back down.

In other words, I was in a very desperate situation, even more than I first realized.

Apparently, my outburst of waking up earlier hadn't gone unnoticed as I looked over and saw that Annabeth was also awake. She looked at me as I sat there, my hands over my shoulders as if I was shivering, when it was at least nighty degrees in here.

She gave a solicitous look. "Are you okay?"

I nodded briefly. "I couldn't sleep."

"Nightmare?" she guessed.

"Yeah."

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked. "It usually helps—it's better to let your fears out rather than bottle them down."

"I…I don't know if I could," I said hesitantly. "It's rather complicated."

"We have time," she said, "and don't worry, I won't say anything if you don't want me to, and Seaweed Brain is asleep." I gave a glance at her left. Percy was slightly fidgeting, but asleep nonetheless.

"I don't know where to start," I said, and silently I thought, _I don't know if I should tell her._

"Wherever you see fit to tell me, maybe?" she suggested.

"Okay. So um, there was this person…a girl," I started. "This girl suddenly turned up in my life, and before you get any ideas, she wasn't like my friend or anything like that." Annabeth only nodded as I continued. "She was... alright at first. We got along very well. You can say we had a lot in common." I paused, wondering how I should continue without giving anything away. "She stayed for only a short while before she had to leave, but when she did come back…she changed."

"Changed?" Annabeth asked. "How?"

"She…wasn't the person I thought she was," I admitted. "She stopped me from doing something that I had to do." _She destroyed everything._ "She made me feel…worthless." _By taking away any meaning in my life._ "Everything just turned out a disaster." I placed my head on my lap, to keep my thoughts and feelings straight. Annabeth didn't say anything for a moment, but I heard shifting as I noticed how Annabeth seated herself next to me.

" _You. Are. Not. Worthless._ " she said to me. "Don't you _ever_ say that. Just because one girl tells you you're nothing _does not_ mean you're nothing." She placed a hand on my shoulder, and gave me a reassuring smile. "I know you have gone through some tough times-we all do. But we can't let the past dictate what we do now or what we do in the future. We have to learn how to _move on_ -That is what makes us stronger." She let go of my shoulder, and looked down at her own lap. "And even if some of those mistakes we make could never be re-done…there's no point in lingering on them. What's done is done. But we still have the ability to make the right decisions here and now. That is what really matters. That, is what keeps us from making those mistakes _again_."

"I…understand," I said quietly, looking up towards the ceiling, "but some things are not as easily forgotten."

Annabeth only smiled. "That's what friends are for, dummy. If you ever need any help, just ask me or Percy. We'll try to help you the best way we can."

"Thank you," I said. "Thanks for everything."

And I meant it.

"Thanks for confiding in me," she said back. The truck suddenly screeched to a stop. "I guess we're here. You want to wake up Seaweed Brain or me?"

"I'll wake him up," I said. "Can you keep a look out for the guys outside?"

"I'm on it," she said, as she put on her cap and disappeared. I went towards Percy and shook him awake.

"The truck has stopped," I told him as he blinked his eyes opened.

Annabeth suddenly hissed from her corner. "They're coming to check on the animals! Hide!"

Percy and I had to scurry for a decent hiding place as the doors to the truck opened: we ended up behind a sack of turnips.

"Man!" one of the truckers said, waving his hand in front of his ugly nose. "I wish I hauled appliances." He climbed inside and poured some water from a jug into the animals' dishes.

"You hot, big boy?" he asked the lion, then splashed the rest of the bucket right in the lion's face.

The lion roared in indignation.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," the man said, then he proceeded to throw a crumpled up Happy Meal at the zebra. "How ya doin', Stripes? Least we'll be getting rid of _you_ this stop. You like magic shows? You're gonna love this one. They're gonna saw you in half!"

The zebra flinched.

There was a loud _knock, knock, knock_ on the side of the trailer.

The trucker inside with us yelled, "what do you want, Eddie?"

A voice outside (probably Eddie's) shouted back, "Maurice? What'd ya say?"

"What are you banging for?"

_Knock, knock, knock._

Eddie yelled, "what banging?

Maurice rolled his eyes and went back outside, cursing at Eddie for being an idiot.

A second later, Annabeth appeared next to Percy. She must've done the banging to get Maurice out of the trailer. She said, "this transport business can't be legal."

"No kidding," I grumbled. I was tired of seeing these animals mistreated. "We have to free them."

The men were still yelling at each other outside as Percy used his sword to cut off the locks. The animals instantly leaped out, people were screaming while others were taking pictures. Maurice and Eddie were running after the animals while policemen were running after them. As we got out of the trailer, I looked around the desert landscape, taking in the bright colors and emblems of the buildings around us.

We have arrived at Las Vegas.

-o-


	16. Eternal Fun

When we got out of the wheeler, we didn't have much of an idea what to do next.

Getting west was the first thing on our agenda, but we just didn't have a clue as to _how_ to get there. After abandoning our only 'free ride', we were left with nothing but Ares' gift: the blue nylon backpack that contained less than enough cash for _any_ ride.

Right now, that was the least of our troubles. We were all dead-tired and needed a place to stay and _fast_. Annabeth looked about ready to fall asleep, and Percy didn't look all that great either.

As we walked on through a series of lighted, neon buildings until we were greeted by a doorman dressed in a fancy suit.

He smiled at us. "Hey, kids. You look tired. You want to come in and sit down?"

_Huh?_

"We don't have any money…" I muttered before being shushed by both Annabeth and Percy, who were _dying_ to get into any air-conditioned building.

As we were led inside the lightly lit 'Lotus Hotel and Casino', and I couldn't help but gape in amazement:

This place was any kid's _dream world_. There were numerous game booths, actual 60 feet high roller coasters in the background. Snack bars were all over the place, and there was even a big water slide with all those sprinkler effects. Was that a _virtual_ archery range?!

There was no way we could afford this.

Luckily, it seemed like the Fates were on our side when a bellhop wearing Hawaiian themed clothes handed Percy a room card.

"Welcome to the Lotus Casino. Here's your room key," he said cheerfully.

Percy, with good sense, rejected this good notion. "Wait, this can't be right. We didn't-!"

"No, no," he said, laughing. "The bill's taken care of. No extra charges, no tips. Just go on up to the top floor, room 4001. If you need anything, like extra bubbles for the hot tub, or skeet targets for the shooting range, or whatever, just call the front desk. Here are your Lotus Cash cards. They work in the restaurants and on all the games and rides." Then, he proceeded to hand each of us green cards.

I looked at the green plastic card. "How much is on here?"

The bellhop looked confused, looking at me as if I grew an extra head. "I'm sorry?"

"I said, _how much is on here?_ There's got to be some limit…"

He only laughed. "Oh, you're making a joke. Hey, that's cool. Enjoy your stay." Then, he walked away, leaving us just standing there with green plastic cards in our hands.

We took the elevator upstairs and checked out our room. It was a suite with three separate bedrooms and a bar stocked with candy, sodas, and chips. A hotline to room service. Fluffy towels and water beds with feather pillows. A big-screen television with satellite and high-speed Internet. The balcony had its own hot tub, and sure enough, there was a skeet-shooting machine and a shotgun. The view over the Strip and the desert was breath-taking.

"Oh, goodness," Annabeth said. "This place is ..."

"Awesome…" I finished. "Just pure awesomeness."

After that, each of us went to our separate rooms. First thing I did was to take a shower, and changed my dirty, worn 'Water land' apparel for a black long sleeve shirt and jeans. Apparently, the whole wardrobe was filled with fresh clothes suitable for my size and taste. A bit strange, but I didn't think much on it.

When I returned to the 'common room', Annabeth was channel surfing while I helped myself to the snack bar. Munching on a bag of Doritos when Percy came in, looking refreshed. He stared at Annabeth in disbelief.

"All those channels…" he said, "and you stop on _National Geographic_?"

"It's interesting." she mumbled.

"What do you guys want to do now?" I asked them.

"Sleep?" Annabeth suggested.

Percy had that glint in his eye as held up his green plastic card and grinned. "Play time."

-o-

And play time it was.

I couldn't even count how many times I went virtual archery shooting. The effects were amazing! They had every sized bow and quiver filled with holographic arrows. I probably achieved the new high score at least a dozen times. When I got bored with the game, I moved on to bungee jumping, then mountain climbing, and later on skate boarding. I played all the games that I had dreamed of playing and more.

Right now, I was in the middle of a human-simulated _Halo_ game.

Dressed in a black military uniform and helmet, I cautiously moved into the virtual forest terrain, my rifle loaded with paint balls and the works. I have already taken down most of the big guys, but according to the board that lingered above the arena, it states that I still have one more opponent to take down.

Eventually, a dark hollow cave came into view. Thinking that it was a good place to hide and not get shot at, I crept inside.

What I didn't expect, was _someone else_ occupying it.

I turned around instantly as a shuffle came from my right. I swerved my rifle and fired numerous neon colored paint balls. My opponent, who was also clad in dark clothing, quickly dodged the onslaught of paint balls and almost instantly fired his own rifle at me. I had to dive into a bunch of Styrofoam boulders to escape unscathed. With my back to the fake boulder, I quickly reloaded my paintball rifle. The shuffling of metal on the other side of the clearing told me my opponent was doing the same.

Lucky for me, this game should be coming to an end soon. With my newly discovered night vision, I could easily pinpoint where my opponent was. All I needed was for my opponent to crawl out and my rifle would instantly be on him. It would be _game over_.

Piece of cake right?

Apparently not.

When I launched my rifle on my opponent as he crept out of his hiding spot, not only did he manage to dodge my attacks, he actually managed to pull a fast one on me: My eyes were closely watching his movements when he simply… _vanished_. He just went _poof_ right in front of me.

I swerved my rifle in hopes of catching him but I saw nothing. I was thinking that my eyes were playing tricks on me when I heard a paintball splatter on my left shoulder. I turned around and there he was. 3 feet away from me.

How did I not notice him?

As the arena set itself back up for the next game, my opponent and I went to change out of our military outfits. My opponent took off his helmet: A short dark haired boy that looked no older than ten.

Well there goes my ego. I got beaten by a _ten-year old._

"Hey," I called out as I got the boy's attention. He seemed to shuffling a bunch of game cards. "How did you do that back there?"

The boy looked up. "Do what?"

"You know, the whole 'vanishing act'? I thought I had my eye on you." I explained.

"Vanishing act? I'm not sure what you're talking about." he said, confused. Then, his eyes suddenly widened when he noticed my quiver of arrows. "Whoa, is that a real bow and arrow? Are you an archer? Those don't look like the ones they have here."

I took a moment to register his questions. "Um, yeah-!"

"That's like so cool!" he said enthusiastically. "You should meet my older sister. She always wanted to take archery. She finds the ones they have here too fake. Are you any good?"

I blinked. "I guess-!"

"Sweet! You should try to teach my sister," he glanced around as if looking for her. "Although, I don't really know where she is at the moment."

I took that moment to direct the topic to something else. I glanced down at his game cards, and as I look closely, I noticed they had Greek gods and goddesses on them. "So what kind of cards are those? I never seen them before."

He spun around quickly, looking shocked. "You never heard of _Mythomagic_?" I shook my head. "It's like the best card game ever! See," he pointed to the one that looked like Zeus, "he's one of best cards I have: he has like 6000 attack power with an extra 600 for _every lightning bolt_."

"That's…nice?" An uneasy feeling started to creep up on me.

"Oh but you're probably not interested in him," he went on, taking out another card that looked a bit like Apollo. "This guy doesn't really have that high of an attack power-but his defense is pretty awesome: 2000 defense points and a +200 for medicine. Cool huh?"

"So this…collection of yours," I started before he started rambling again. "Do you have all of the cards?"

He looked down for a moment. "Nope. But I really hope I can add new ones to my collection. Like Hades for instance."

I suddenly felt something heavy weighed down on me.

"I heard, he has like 4000 attack points but 5000 if the opponent attacks first," he continued. "It would be a dream come true for me if I can get my hands on that card."

"Um, good luck with that?" I said sheepishly. I didn't know why I had a bad feeling when this kid mentioned Hades, but I decided to ignore it.

"Thanks," he said, then he took out yet another card. "Maybe you'll be interested in her. She's an archer like you. She only has about 2500 attack points, but her greatest ability is stealth, so if I play this moon card…her attack power would increase to 3500!"

Something seemed to have slowly resurfaced in my mind as he stated the goddess' stats. "I'm sorry, but who is this archer?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You don't know? Her name's _Artemis_."

It suddenly clicked. We were on a Quest. We have regained more than enough energy to get to our destination. No wonder I felt uneasy when the kid mentioned Hades or when he mentioned Zeus' lightning bolts. We were supposed to be on our way to retrieving his lost master bolt weren't we? To think I suddenly forgotten all about that? I knew this place was a bad idea.

"Thanks a lot, kid." I said, as I patted him on the shoulder. I had to search for Percy and Annabeth. "I gotta go."

"Huh? Already? What about those archery lessons?" he called.

Although I never did consent to those lessons, I looked back and grinned. "Maybe some other time."

-o-

Locating Percy and Annabeth was easier than I thought, seeing as how they were also searching for me. When we finally met up, Percy informed me how this place was a trap: how time seemed to slow down and there were kids that had stayed here since the early 1970s. The situation seemed to be getting worse and worse.

As we approached the exit, a bellhop suddenly appeared.

"Leaving so soon?" he asked.

"We're leaving," Percy told him.

"Such a shame," he said, like he meant it. "We just added an entire new floor full of games for platinum-card members." He took out 3 platinum cards in his hand, hovering them so close that we could easily grab them, but I knew that it was bait.

Annabeth only grabbed onto Percy's arm and mine as she shoved her way past the bellhop.

"No thanks," she muttered as we finally pushed through the exit doors and into the busy streets of Las Vegas.

First thing I noticed was the storm clouds overhead, turning the sky into a dark misty swirl of dark grey and black. Lightning flashed and thunder roared in the distance. Tourists were walking quickly pass us for cover as we tried to figure out what was wrong. Eventually, Percy located a newspaper stand: the date clearly visible.

June twentieth. We had only one more day to complete the Quest.

We were running out of time. If we didn't get any reliable transportation soon, then this Quest was as good as over.

As I pondered these thoughts, Annabeth suddenly waved her hand rapidly. Before I could ask what she was doing, a yellow cab gave a sudden halt.

There went our transportation problem.

-o-

After a small, simple swipe from one of our Lotus cards, the taxi driver immediately stepped on the gas as soon as he saw the infinity symbol that showed on the meter machine. While he drove, the three of us were talking in the back: currently discussing Percy's latest dream.

"I don't know…" I muttered once Percy finished. "If it isn't Hades, I don't know who it is. Besides, the throne room sounds _a lot_ like where the lord of the dead would make his living room."

"I'm just not sure," Percy said quietly. "Something's wrong. The throne room wasn't the main part of the dream. And that voice from the pit ... I don't know. It just didn't feel like a god's voice."

Annabeth hitched a breath. I raised an eyebrow.

"Annabeth," I said, staring at her suddenly pale face. "If you know something, it's best to let out now."

"It's ... nothing. I was just—No, it _has_ to be Hades. Maybe he sent this thief, this invisible person, to get the master bolt, and something went wrong—" she stuttered, her eyes flashing back and forth frantically.

"Like what?"

"I—I don't know," she said, "but if he stole Zeus's symbol of power from Olympus, and the gods were hunting him, I mean, a lot of things could go wrong. So this thief had to hide the bolt, or he lost it somehow. Anyway, he failed to bring it to Hades. That's what the voice said in your dream, right? The guy failed. That would explain what the Furies were searching for when they came after us on the bus. Maybe they thought we had retrieved the bolt."

"But if I'd already retrieved the bolt," Percy said, his eyes narrowing in concentration. "Why would I be traveling to the Underworld?"

I shrugged. "Barter for your mom maybe?"

He looked at me strangely. "I kinda doubt _that_ would work."

"It's something."

"But the thing in the pit said it was waiting for _two_ items," Percy reminisced. "If the master bolt is one, what's the other?"

We were silent. Annabeth was slightly shaking her head, as if clearing out her thoughts.

"You have an idea what might be in that pit, don't you?" Percy asked her. "I mean, if it isn't Hades?"

"Percy, let's not talk about it. Because if it isn't Hades ... No. It has to be Hades."

"Even if Hades wasn't the suspect," I said. "It's kind of too late to change our minds."

Annabeth silently glared at me as Percy's face looked downcast. "The answer _is_ in the Underworld," Annabeth tried assuring him. "You saw spirits of the dead, Percy. There's only one place that could be. We're doing _the right thing_." She directed those last 3 words at me, I only rolled my eyes.

"Just trying to be logical," I muttered.

At sunset, the taxi dropped us at the beach in Santa Monica. It looked exactly the way L.A. beaches do in the movies, only it smelled worse.

There were carnival rides lining the Pier, palm trees lining the sidewalks, homeless guys sleeping in the sand dunes, and surfers waiting for the perfect wave. Other than that, the beach looked relatively deserted.

"What now?" Annabeth asked.

Percy looked at us for a moment before he stepped forward-sinking slowly into the depths of the sea.

"Percy?" Annabeth called out. "What are you doing? You know how polluted that water is? There are all kinds of toxic—"

He ignored her as his head went under. Annabeth and I were left alone on the shore, silently waiting for Percy to come back up.

"So what do you think is in that pit?" I said casually. Annabeth suddenly snapped her attention.

"I-I…will you just drop it?" she suddenly snapped. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Whatever," I said, unfazed by her bad attitude. "Besides, I have my own theories on what lies in that pit. You aren't the only one."

She sighed. "I'm sorry I snapped. I just…there's so much that is at stake if this Quest goes wrong. Even if I'm not the one leading it…I feel _pressured…responsible_ for what happens after you know?"

I nodded. "I get it."

"Yeah, so that is why I didn't want to say anything about what lies in that pit," she said, darting a glance at the water, "If Percy were to know…his determination would be crushed, and that is what is important right now: We have to keep our hopes up…Percy!" Annabeth suddenly called out as she spotted Percy resurfacing out of the water, his clothes automatically dried.

"I have some things to tell you guys…" Percy started as he recounted the conversation he had with the underwater lady. He also showed us the pearls he got. By the time he finished, Annabeth and I looked equally nerved.

"No gift comes without a price." Annabeth said sternly.

"They were free."

"No." She shook her head. "'There is no such thing as a free lunch.' That's an ancient Greek saying that translated pretty well into American. There will be a price. You wait."

"I'll have to agree with her this time," I said, as we began to suit up. "Let's go. The Underworld awaits us."

"Yay," Percy muttered.

-o-

With some spare change from Ares' backpack, we took the bus into West Hollywood. Percy showed the driver the Underworld address slip that Percy had taken from Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium, but he'd never heard of DOA Recording Studios. In fact, pretty much everyone we asked never even heard of the place.

When we got to our stop, we had to wander around for miles looking for the DOA. There was no known source of information on this place.

What bad luck. Not to mention we had to hide from the police _twice_.

The only time we took a break from our stroll was when Percy suddenly halted in front of an appliance store. The TVs were on, and presently it showed an old bald, chubby man that tried to hide the fact that he hadn't showered for a month being seated near a blond news reporter. He was saying:

"Honest, Ms. Walters, if it wasn't for Sugar here, my grief counselor, I'd be a wreck. My stepson took everything I cared about. My wife ... my Camaro ... I—I'm sorry. I have trouble talking about it."

"There you have it, America." Blondie turned to the camera. "A man torn apart. An adolescent boy with serious issues. Let me show you, again, the last known photo of this troubled young fugitive, taken a week ago in Denver."

The screen cut to a grainy shot of me, Annabeth, and Percy standing outside the Colorado diner, talking to Ares.

"Who are the other children in this photo?" the news reporter, Barbara Walters, asked dramatically. "Who is the man with them? Is Percy Jackson a delinquent, a terrorist, or perhaps the brainwashed victim of a frightening new cult? When we come back, we chat with a leading child psychologist. Stay tuned, America."

I huffed under my breath as I steered Percy away from the TV. "Ignorant mortals."

Soon it got dark, and as we navigated through the noisy large labyrinth that made up LA, I almost wished I didn't have night vision because I could clearly see the knives and other dangerous weapons hidden in the pockets of the people we passed by. Each of them staring at us to see if we had anything of value that they could get their dirty hands on.

As we hurried passed the entrance of an alley, a voice from the darkness said, "hey, you."

Percy halted, and since Annabeth and I were behind him, we did too.

We were surrounded. At least 6 white guys with ugly faces wearing expensive leather and brands towered over us. Instantly, I grew worried. I knew I could hold my own in a fight if these bastards were in fact, mortal. If they were monsters however…

Percy answered that question when his blade went pass harmlessly over one of the guys' chest.

Okay…so they were mortal.

Annabeth and Percy were just about to bolt when I insisted that we hold our ground.

"There is no way I am running from these snobby _brats!_ " I hissed.

Percy widened his eyes, "but our weapons! They don't work on-!"

"Watch me."

With that said, the leader lunged at me, seeing how I was oldest. I stood my ground as I kicked the switchblade out of his hands quickly and proceeded to punch his face. With blood smeared on my fist, I thought I had the leader taken care of when he suddenly got back up, his hand over his now broken nose that made his face look even uglier. He was definitely pissed off now.

"Get 'em!" he barked.

I quickly pushed Percy and Annabeth out of the way as the guys from behind tried to grab them. When one of the guys did manage to get Annabeth from behind, she bit down on his hand hard and stomped on his foot. The guy didn't get a chance to get himself sorted before I jumped up into the air and kicked him right under the chin. He was on the ground knocked out as I landed swiftly back on my feet. Percy was doing his best on dodging their attacks while Annabeth helped him out.

I proceeded with the rest after a few punches and kicks here and there, and pretty soon all of them were on the ground aching and groaning incoherently. I walked up to the gang leader, and forcefully yanked him up, getting a clear view of his bruised up face.

I glared at him for what he was worth. "If you _ever_ mess with me or my friends, I swear you and your little Girl Scout group will not see the light of day. _Understand_?"

The leader timidly nodded, clearly intimidated.

"Good." I let him go and soon enough, he was signaling the rest of his group: Running with their tails between their legs until they quickly vanished from view. With that done, I turned towards Annabeth and Percy, checking for visible injuries. They only looked back at me in astonishment. I thought they were going to comment on my fighting moves, but instead-

"Seth… your eyes are glowing…" Annabeth said, looking in wonder.

I blinked twice before I registered what she said. "W-what?" I blinked again. "They are?"

Percy gave me a view of my face when he uncapped his sword. The sheath clearly displaying the slowly diminishing silver glow emitted from my eyes.

I was still gaping when Percy placed his sword away.

I stuttered, "w-were they glowing the whole time?"

Percy shook his head. "I only noticed it when you were in the middle of the fight." He stared at me as if I was the weirdest thing he laid eyes on-which sadly-could be true. "Does this happen often?"

"Not that I'm aware of," I said carefully, keeping my nerves in check.

"How do you feel?" Percy asked, concerned.

"I…I feel fine." I insisted. "I don't feel anything strange."

"Maybe it has something to do with your emotions," Annabeth deduced. "They glow when you're angry, like you were back then, and they're not glowing now because you've calmed down."

I stared at her in confusion. "How did you figure that out?" Annabeth seemed to understand this better than me, and I was the one with the alien eyes problem.

Annabeth only pointed at herself. "Daughter of Athena."

"Right, I should have known."

Percy said, "so what now?"

And it was at that moment when I heard stomping noises at the other side of the street. What did you know, the girl scouts had back up.

"I _knew_ I shouldn't have let them go…" I muttered darkly.

Annabeth only looked at each of us once before saying, "run?"

"Run."

-o-

"Tell me again," I asked Percy, as we hid behind a couple of water beds in the store that read ' _Crusty's Water Bed Palace'._ "Why we are here of all places?"

Percy shrugged. "It was open."

"Let it go Seth," Annabeth said. "We needed a place to hide from those jerks. This was the closest place."

"We could have taken them!" I insisted. Annabeth only rolled her eyes.

" _You_ -could have 'taken them'…in case you haven't noticed, Percy and I aren't really that good at hand to hand combat," she said and continued before I interrupt, " _And_ we _really_ don't have the time for these fights." I sighed.

"Point taken." I said, as I slowly crawled out of my hiding place. "I think we lost the-!"

"Lost who?" All three of us suddenly jumped as a 7 feet tall bald headed man with yellow teeth stood behind us, wearing a bunch of retro-looking silver chains around his neck and old fashioned button ups. The owner looked to be the size of a giant.

"I'm Crusty," he said, with a tartar-yellow smile.

I could barely hide my disgust.

"Sorry to barge in," Percy told him. "We were just, um, browsing."

"You mean hiding from those no-good kids," he grumbled. "They hang around every night. I get a lot of people in here, thanks to them. Say, you want to look at a water bed?"

Just when any of us were about to protest, Crusty pushed all 3 of us to the display beds.

"This is my most popular model." Crusty spread his hands proudly over a bed covered with black satin sheets, with built-in Lava Lamps on the headboard. As his hand made contact, the mattress vibrated like some kind of Jell-O.

"Million-hand massage," Crusty told us. "Go on, try it out. Shoot, take a nap. I don't care. No business today anyway."

"I think we should be going," I said suddenly. "Right you guys?"

Annabeth nodded, sensing my urgency. "Yeah we should."

Crusty frowned down at us, "Are you sure? Maybe these models would suit your tastes…" Then, he suddenly propelled me and Annabeth to two identical water bed models with Sahara theme. When we resisted, he forcefully pushed us.

"Ow!" I called out as I slammed into the water bed.

Crusty snapped his fingers. " _Ergo!"_

Tight ropes suddenly whipped out from the sides of the bed, grabbing me by my arms and legs. Soon enough, I was stuck like glue to a stupid water bed with my body stretched out. With my quiver of arrows and bow behind me, the tightness was doing _wonders_ on my back. The pain only worsened as the ropes suddenly started _stretching_. Annabeth was groaning in pain beside me. As for Percy…

He was currently being choked in mid-air by Crusty.

"Let my friends go." Percy managed to choke out.

"Oh, sure I will. But I got to make them fit, first."

"What do you mean?"

"All the beds are exactly six feet, see? Your friends are too short. Got to make them fit," Crusty peered at us and frowned again at our protesting. "Can't stand imperfect measurements," he muttered. _"Ergo!"_

A new set of ropes leaped out from the top and bottom of the beds, wrapping around me and Annabeth's waist and ankles, and re-strengthened the hold on our arms and legs. The ropes started tightening even further. So much that I was about to suffocate.

" A-a little help here!" I called out.

"Don't worry," Crusty told Percy as he saw his worried look. "These are stretching jobs. Maybe three extra inches on their spines. They might even live….

_If I do, killing you is the first thing on my list!_

"….Now why don't we find a bed you like, huh?"

Percy's eyes seemed to swarm as he darted a few glances at our vulnerable positions, he was panicking-but tried to look as if everything was under control. And the first thing Percy said:

"Your real name's not Crusty, is it?"

I was about to scream my head off right then and there.

_Hello Percy? I'm stretching to my death here?_

"Legally, it's Procrustes," 'Crusty' admitted.

"The stretcher…" Percy said in realization.

"Yeah," he said, "but who can pronounce _Procrustes?_ Bad for business. Now 'Crusty,' anybody can say that."

_Who cares about his stupid ass business!_ I wanted to scream out, but I couldn't. It was like my lungs were being stretched too.

"You're right. It's got a good ring to it."

His eyes lit up. "You think so?"

"Oh, absolutely," Percy said in mock admiration, "and the workmanship on these beds? Fabulous!"

May the gods help us.

Procrustes grinned, clearly happy he found an agreeable companion. "I tell my customers that. _Every time," h_ e stressed. "Nobody bothers to look at the workmanship…

Who in their crazy mind would? Oh right, _Percy_.

The ugly giant continued, "how many built-in Lava Lamp headboards have you seen?"

Percy seemed to considered it for a moment. "Not too many."

"That's right!"

"Percy!" Annabeth yelled. "What are you doing?"

" _Yes_ ," I hissed. I paused to catch my breath. "What in Hades' name are you-!"

"Don't mind them," Percy told Procrustes. "They're impossible."

The giant laughed. "All my customers are. Never six feet exactly. So inconsiderate. And then they complain about the fitting."

"What do you do if they're longer than six feet?" Percy wondered

"Oh, that happens all the time. It's a simple fix."

He suddenly let go of Percy's neck, but before Percy could react, he reached behind a nearby sales desk and brought out a huge double-bladed _brass axe_.

_Oh gods no…_

"I just center the subject as best I can and lop off whatever hangs over on either end."

Percy looked green for a moment. "Ah…sensible."

"I'm so glad to come across an intelligent customer!"

"So…Crusty," Percy said as he looked at a heart shaped bed. "Does this one really have dynamic stabilizers to stop wave motion?"

"Absolutely. Try it out."

"Yeah, maybe I will. But would it work even for a big guy like you? No waves at all?" he added suggestively.

Crusty grinned. "Guaranteed."

"No way."

"Way."

"Show me."

He sat down eagerly on the bed, patted the mattress. "No waves. See?"

Percy quickly snapped his fingers. _"Ergo."_

Ropes lashed around Crusty and flattened him against the mattress.

"Hey!" he yelled.

"Center him just right," Percy said, clearly enjoying this.

The ropes readjusted themselves and soon only Crusty's whole head stuck out the top. His feet stuck out at the bottom.

"No!" he said. "Wait! This is just a demo."

Percy only uncapped his sword. "A few simple adjustments ..."

"You drive a hard bargain," he told Percy. "I'll give you thirty percent off on selected floor models.'"

"I think I'll start with the top."

"No money down! No interest for six months!"

Percy swung his sword. Crusty stopped driving bargains.

At last, Percy finally came over and relieved us of our pain. My arms and legs still felt numb. As we stood there trying to exercise our limbs, Percy walked over and gave us a glance.

"You guys look taller," he commented.

"Ya' think?" I retorted as I flexed my arms.

"Very funny," Annabeth said, annoyed. "Be _faster_ next time."

Percy didn't say anything as he walked over to the sales desk and pulled out a sheet. And as I looked closer, I noticed it had a map of DOA Recording studios.

"So we finally got the address," I said as I stood beside him.

"I guess we didn't come here for nothing after all," Percy said, remembering my earlier comment.

"Well excuse me for not wanting to get _stretched to death_."

"Come on, you guys," Annabeth said as she walked closer. "Stop the bickering."

I rolled my eyes. "Like you're one to talk."

"She's right," Percy said gravely, "because we're about to enter the Underworld."

-o-


	17. My Underworld Trip

It was midnight by the time we stood at the front entrance of the DOA Recording studios.

After briefly discussing the plan of infiltrating the Underworld, we slowly made our way to the front desk.

Percy gave each of us a glance. "Okay. You remember the plan."

"And what if the plan doesn't work?" Annabeth inquired.

Percy hesitated. "Don't think negative."

I kept a firm hold on my weapons. "Let's go."

The Underworld. Never in all my 13 years of life did I imagine being here in this place. Besides the floating transparent ghosts and grey atmosphere, it looked more like the entrance of a luxury hotel. A security guard was at his podium, wearing what looked like an expensive European suit with a fancy black rose pinned at the side and a name tag that read Chiron-wait, that couldn't be right!

He peered down at us eerily. "How may I help you lads?" His accent sounded British.

"Your name is _Chiron_?" Percy suddenly exclaimed.

I slapped a hand to my forehead.

"It's _Charon,_ actually," Charon muttered, offended. "Tell me mate, do I look like a centaur?"

"N-no…"

"No, _sir_." Charon chastised.

"Sir."

Then, he rubbed his name tag and brought it up close. "Now see here, it reads C-H-A-R-O-N. Say it with me CARE-ON. Got that?"

Charon was starting to sound like a lame preschool teacher.

"Charon."

"Amazing! Now: _Mr._ Charon."

" _Mr. Charon_ ," Percy said, irritated.

"Well done," he sat back. "I _hate_ being confused with that old horse-man. Now, how may I help you little dead ones?"

I answered quickly. "We want to go to the Underworld."

Charon's mouth twitched. "Well, that's refreshing."

"It is?" I said dubiously.

"Straightforward and honest. No screaming. No 'There must be a mistake, Mr. Charon.'" He looked us over. "How did you die, then?"

Percy nudged me on the shoulder.

"Oh, um, we burned to death. In a house. Trapped in a closet."

Charon winced in sympathy. "That must hurt."

"Very."

 _"_ Well, I don't suppose you have coins for passage? Normally, with adults, you see, I can charge your American Express, or add the ferry price to your last cable bill. But with children...alas, you never die prepared. I suppose you'll have to take a seat for a few centuries."

Time for part two.

"Oh, but we have coins." Percy said quickly as he snatched them out of his bag.

"Well, now..." Charon moistened his lips. "Real drachmas. Real golden drachmas. I haven't seen these in a millennium…" Suddenly, he stopped and stared directly at Percy, his eyes narrowed.

"Hey," he said. "You couldn't read my name correctly. Are you dyslexic, lad?"

"No," Percy said. "I'm dead."

Charon leaned forward and took a sniff. "You're not dead. I should have known. You're a godling."

"We have to go to the Underworld," Percy insisted.

Charon made a growling sound deep in his throat.

Immediately, all the people in the waiting room got up and started pacing, agitated, lighting cigarettes, running hands through their hair, or checking their wristwatches.

"Leave while you can," Charon told us. "I'll take these and forget I saw you."

He started to go for the coins, but Percy quickly snatched them back.

"No service, no tip."

Charon growled again—a deep, blood-chilling sound. The spirits of the dead started pounding on the elevator doors.

"It's a shame, too." Percy sighed. "We had more to offer."

Percy held up the entire bag from Crusty's stash and took out a fistful of drachmas and let the coins spill through my fingers.

Charon's growl changed into something more like a lion's purr. "Do you think I can be bought, godling?" A second later, his expression changed. "Eh...just out of curiosity, how much have you got there?"

" _A lot_ ," Percy emphasized, "I bet Hades doesn't pay you well enough for such hard work."

Charon rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Oh, you don't know the half of it! How would you like to babysit these spirits all day? Always ' _Please don't let me be dead_ ' or ' _Please let me across for free._ ' I haven't had a pay raise in three thousand years." He gave a tug on his tie. "Do you imagine suits like this come cheap?"

"You deserve better," Percy said. "A little appreciation. Respect. Good pay."

With each word, Percy stacked another gold coin on the counter. His bargaining skills sure were admirable.

Charon glanced down at his silk Italian jacket, as if imagining himself in something even better. "I must say, lad, you're making some sense now. Just a little."

Percy stacked another few coins. "I could mention a pay raise while I'm talking to Hades."

Charon was silent as if contemplating the idea while giving each of us a hollow stare. When his stare landed on me, his eyes narrowed.

" _You._ What are you?" he questioned me. He gave me a sniff. "I've never encounter _your kind_ before."

I was taken aback. "W-what do you mean? I'm a demigod."

He scoffed as if I said something ridiculous. "If _you're_ a demigod, then I might as well be Chiron."

Annabeth and Percy were looking at me funny.

"What is he talking about?" Annabeth questioned me.

"Nothing," I hissed, panicking internally. I quickly stepped up and whispered to Charon, "How about you _keep quiet_ about me, and you'll get _a little extra?_ " I shoved a couple drachmas into his hand.

His eyes glittered with greed, and his face turned nonchalant. "Very well. Come along. The boat's almost full, anyway. I might as well add you three, and be off." The matter was dispersed.

Even so, I couldn't help feel the suspicious looks Percy and Annabeth were giving me while Charon led us to the elevator, handing us each a green boarding pass.

"Right. Now, no one gets any ideas while I'm gone," he announced to the waiting room, "and if anyone moves the dial off my easy-listening station again, I'll make sure you're here for another thousand years. Understand?"

He shut the doors, place a key card into a slot in the elevator panel, and we started to descend.

-o-

"What happens to the spirits waiting in the lobby?" Annabeth asked.

"Nothing," Charon said.

"For how long?"

"Forever, or until I'm feeling generous."

"Oh," she said. "That's...fair."

Charon raised an eyebrow. "Whoever said death was fair, young miss? Wait until it's your turn. You'll die soon enough, where you're going."

"We'll get out alive," I said back.

"Ha."

When the elevator finally stopped, I felt…light-headed. Charon's face was now that of a transparent skull. The typical grim reaper look. In a way, it suited him. The elevator doors opened and a really polluted river came into view.

" _That's_ the River Styx?" I said incredulously.

Annabeth looked at it with a scrunched up countenance. "It's so…"

"Polluted," Charon finished, looking even more gloomy. "For thousands of years, you humans have been throwing in everything as you come across—hopes, dreams, wishes that never came true. Irresponsible waste management, if you ask me."

The shoreline of the Underworld came into view. Craggy rocks and black volcanic sand stretched inland about a hundred yards to the base of a high stone wall, which marched off in either direction as far as we could see. A sound came from somewhere nearby in the green gloom, echoing off the stones—the howl of a large animal.

"Old Three-Face is hungry," Charon said. His smile turned skeletal in the greenish light. "Bad luck for you, godlings."

The bottom of our boat slid onto the black sand. The dead began to disembark. Ghosts of man, woman, and child went pass us quickly. I gave a glance at my hand, or at least what looked like a hand. It was completely transparent now.

Charon said, "I'd wish you luck, mate, but there isn't any down here. Mind you, don't forget to mention my pay raise." The empty boat quickly departed from the shore.

As we followed the rest of the spirits down a path, I saw three glowing signs under a black archway labeled: YOU ARE NOW ENTERING EREBUS. Each entrance had a pass-through metal detector with security cameras mounted on top. Beyond this were tollbooths manned by black-robed ghouls like Charon. Besides the small rumbling of spirits shoving pass each other, the howling noise of an animal was growing louder as we approached.

There were three lanes: two of the lanes were crowded while one lane, the one that went to Elysium, was sparse and empty.

"What do you figure?" Percy said with his eyes towards the two lanes.

"The fast line must go straight to the Asphodel Fields," Annabeth replied. "No contest. They don't want to risk judgment from the court, because it might go against them."

"There's a court for dead people?"

"Yeah. Three judges. They switch around who sits on the bench. King Minos, Thomas Jefferson, Shakespeare—people like that. Sometimes they look at a life and decide that person needs a special reward—the Fields of Elysium. Sometimes they decide on punishment. But most people, well, they just lived. Nothing special, good or bad. So they go to the Asphodel Fields."

"And do what?"

"Nothing," I answered. "They just…stand there and drift around doing nothing. Just nothing."

"Harsh."

"But it's better than the Fields of Punishment," I pointed out, looking towards the third and last lane. A hooded man was near the entrance. "Hey, doesn't he look familiar?"

"Isn't he that preacher who made the news?" Percy said. "The one that died when he drove off a cliff?"

"The very one. I'm sure Hades must be preparing him a _special_ kind of treatment." Annabeth said, growing pale at the thought.

We got closer to the gates, and the source of the piercing howl that was getting louder by the second reveal itself as we stood just a couple meters away from the 3 headed dog from hell: _Cerberus_.

Charon was right. It was hungry.

All of us stared at the monstrosity, Percy remarked, "he's a Rottweiler."

"No kidding," I muttered as I stared at the beast. Cerberus growled right back, seeing which of us should be his next chew toy, or worse, _his next meal_.

As quietly as we could, we tried sneaking pass the guard dog. But when its middle head craned towards our direction, we stopped.

Percy looked up at it anxiously, " _It can smell the living_."

I gulped visibly, my hand reaching for a quiver slowly, though I had doubts weapons would work in this place. "It's alright though. We have _a plan_."

"Right," Annabeth said quietly. "A plan."

We moved toward the monster.

The middle head snarled at us, then barked so loud my whole body shook.

"Does anyone know what its saying?" Percy called out, looking at either of us.

"I don't speak dog."

"Whatever it is saying though," Annabeth said shakily. "It's definitely _not_ in our favor."

Percy hesitantly pulled out the big stick (aka bedpost) we got from Crusty's deluxe Safari model, and waved it wildly.

"Hey, Big Fella," Percy called, "I bet they don't play with you much."

Cerberus growled even louder.

"Nice doggy." Percy said weakly.

Percy proceeded in waving the stick back and forth slowly, its middle head looking the stick intently, while the other two heads stared at his movements. Annabeth and I stood still. Any movement we make could possibly trigger an attack.

Percy threw the stick. "Fetch!"

The stick soared over the clearing and promptly landed in the River Styx.

Crap.

Percy looked up hesitantly as Cerberus looked at him intently, its eyes obviously not amused. It started to growl…

"Wait!" Annabeth called out, her hand in her backpack. Cerberus instantly swung all 3 of its heads at her. A big red, rubber ball was in her hand.

Yup, we should start running now.

She shouted, "see the ball? You want the ball, Cerberus? Sit!"

Cerberus looked as stunned as we were.

All three of his heads cocked sideways. Six nostrils dilated.

" _Sit!"_ Annabeth called again.

She was officially his next chew toy.

But instead of attacking, Cerberus licked his three sets of lips, shifted on his haunches, and sat, immediately crushing a dozen spirits who'd been passing underneath him in the EZ DEATH line. The spirits made muffled hisses as they dissipated, like the air let out of tires.

Annabeth said, "good boy!"

She threw Cerberus the ball.

He caught it in his middle mouth. It was barely big enough for him to chew, and the other heads started snap ping at the middle, trying to get the new toy.

"Drop it.'" Annabeth ordered.

Cerberus's heads stopped fighting and looked at her. The ball was wedged between two of his teeth like a tiny piece of gum. He made a loud, scary whimper, and then dropped the ball, now slimy and bitten nearly in half, at Annabeth's feet.

"Good boy." she picked up the ball, ignoring the monster spit all over it.

She turned toward us. "Go now. EZ DEATH line—it's faster."

Percy protested, "but—!"

I shoved him along. "Come on! This is our chance!" I turned towards Annabeth. "You are coming, right?"

"In a moment," Annabeth said. Cerberus began to edge towards us when Annabeth ordered, "stay! If you want the ball, _stay!_ "

Cerberus whimpered, but he stayed where he was.

Percy and I eventually got behind Cerberus. I looked on warily as Annabeth hesitantly threw the ball towards Cerberus. The middle head got the ball while the other two heads fought for it. In the midst of their fighting, Annabeth quickly slipped past it and reached us.

"How did you do that?" Percy asked.

"Obedience school," she said breathlessly, and I was surprised to see there were tears in her eyes.

"When I was little, at my dad's house, we had a Doberman... "

"You guys, I think we got to get going?" I interrupted.

We were about to bolt through the EZ DEATH line when Cerberus moaned pitifully from all three mouths. Annabeth stopped.

She turned to face the dog, which had done a 180 to look at us. Creepy.

Cerberus panted expectantly, the tiny red ball in pieces in a puddle of drool at its feet.

"Good boy," Annabeth said, but her voice sounded melancholy and uncertain.

The monster's heads turned sideways, as if worried about her.

"I'll bring you another ball soon," Annabeth promised faintly. "Would you like that?"

The monster whimpered longingly…probably for the rubber ball.

"Good dog. I'll come visit you soon. I—I promise." Annabeth turned to us. "Let's go."

We pushed through the metal detector, which immediately screamed and set off flashing red lights. "Unauthorized possessions! Magic detected!"

Cerberus started to bark.

We burst through the EZ DEATH gate, which started even more alarms blaring, and raced into the Underworld.

A few minutes later, we were hiding, out of breath, in the rotten trunk of an immense black tree as security ghouls scuttled past, yelling for backup from the Furies.

-o-

When we eventually got out of our hiding place, the three of scurried along with the rest of souls; trying to blend in while avoiding security. If I thought the Underworld was big on the outside, wait till you see what lied past the entrance.

The whole ceiling was filled with dark misty clouds that seem to cast tendrils of shadows throughout the arena. If it weren't for the lighted signs, the place would have been in complete darkness.

The pathway eventually split up: one going straight to the Asphodel fields, a field of dead, black waste, crowded with transparent grey figures. Another path that was way ahead of us glowed visibly, going straight to Elysium no doubt, the bright 'heaven' that everyone dreamed of going. Too bad only few achieve it.

We crept along, following the line of new arrivals that snaked from the main gates toward a black-tented pavilion with a banner that read:

_JUDGMENTS FOR ELYSIUM AND ETERNAL DAMNATION_

_Welcome, Newly Deceased!_

_Worse welcome sign ever_ , I thought glumly.

Now that we were up close, I could see the fiery entrance labelled, _Eternal Damnation_.

It was more of a war camp of horror in a sense. Barbed wire was flanked on every side with pools of glowing red lava emitted deadly gases. There were even minefields that separated the different areas of punishment as security ghouls oversee the process. And the torture chambers…

I shivered visibly. _That_ …I didn't even want to describe.

On the other hand, the entrance to Elysium appeared even more enticing. Beautifully decorated mansions of every age stood in the middle of a gated community filled with gold and silver roses. Even the smell was alluring.

A valley stood further apart from the community, a set of three islands that were embodiment of laughter and joy.

_The Isles of the Blest._

"That's what it's all about," Annabeth said as we stared. "That's the place for heroes."

We left the judgment pavilion and moved deeper into the Asphodel Fields. It got darker. The colors faded from our clothes. The crowds of chattering spirits began to thin.

After a few miles of walking, we began to hear a familiar screech in the distance. Looming on the horizon was a palace of glittering black obsidian. Above the parapets swirled three dark bat-like creatures: the Furies.

Once we passed the engraved gateway, we were suddenly surrounded with exotic plants. Mushrooms, fruit of every color and size, and vines that created ornate designs on the floor. The aroma was deafening. My high sense of smell kicking in almost immediately. I had to have Annabeth and Percy drag me along before I collapsed.

We walked up the steps of the palace, between black columns, through a black marble portico, and into the house of Hades. The entry hall had a polished bronze floor, which seemed to boil in the reflected torchlight. There was no ceiling, just the cavern roof, far above.

Every side doorway was guarded by a skeleton in military gear. Some wore Greek armor, some British redcoat uniforms, some camouflage with tattered American flags on the shoulders. They carried spears or muskets or M-16s. None of them bothered us, but their hollow eye sockets followed us as we walked down the hall, toward the big set of doors at the opposite end.

A sudden force bombarded me once we reached the gates. I looked around rapidly to see what the cause of this unseen force was, but all I saw were security ghouls and hovering furies above us. Where was this feeling coming from?

Noticing my unease, Annabeth looked at me with concern. "Are you okay? You don't look so well."

I swallowed before answering, a hand to my chest. "It's just this feeling...nothing big."

Two U.S. Marine skeletons guarded the doors. They grinned down at us, rocket-propelled grenade launchers held across their chests.

For a moment, we stood there doing nothing.

"Well, guys," Percy said, "I suppose we should...knock?"

A hot wind blew down the corridor, and the doors swung open. The guards stepped aside.

"I guess that means _entrez-vous,"_ Annabeth said.

As we entered, we were greeted by the god of the underworld.

He was at least ten feet tall, and dressed in black silk robes and a crown of braided gold. His skin was pale in contrast to his long jet black hair. He didn't look muscular like Ares, nor did he exhibit any laziness like Dionysus. But he was the epitome of royalty and power. Already, I could feel his dark influence, urging me to just lie down and stay here forever.

"You are brave to come here, Son of Poseidon," he said in an oily voice. "After what you have done to me, very brave indeed. Or perhaps you are simply very foolish."

I raised an eyebrow, what did he mean by that?

Percy visibly gulped before replying, "Lord and Uncle, I come with two requests."

He sarcastically raised an eyebrow as he stood up. " _Only_ two requests? Arrogant child. As if you have not already taken enough. Speak, then. It amuses me not to strike you dead yet."

Percy looked about ready to back down before Annabeth prodded him. "Lord Hades…Look, sir, there can't be a war among the gods. It would be ... bad." He paused. "Return Zeus's master bolt to me. Please, sir. Let me carry it to Olympus."

Hades' eyes quickly became sparked with rage. "You _dare_ keep up this pretense, after what you have done?"

I widened my eyes at his outburst. I couldn't help but glance at Annabeth, who looked equally perplexed. Were we right after all? Was Hades actually innocent?

It sure sounded like it.

"Um ... Uncle," Percy said slowly. "You keep saying 'after what you've done.' What exactly have I done?"

The throne room shook with a tremor so strong, they probably felt it upstairs in Los Angeles. Debris fell from the cavern ceiling. Doors burst open all along the walls, and skeletal warriors marched in, hundreds of them, from every time period and nation in Western civilization. They lined the perimeter of the room, blocking the exits.

Hades bellowed, "do you think I want war, godling?"

 _With those guns trained at us at every angle?_ I thought. _Gee, I wonder._

I kept my mouth shut.

"You are the Lord of the Dead," Percy said carefully. "A war would expand your kingdom, right?"

"A typical thing for my brothers to say! Do you think I need more subjects? Do you not see the sprawl of the Asphodel Fields?"

"Well..."

"Have you any idea how much my kingdom has swollen in this past century alone, how many subdivisions I've had to open?"

Percy tried to add something, but Hades was on a roll now.

"More security ghouls," he moaned. "Traffic problems at the judgment pavilion. Double overtime for the staff! I used to be a rich god, Percy Jackson. I controlled all the precious metals under the earth. But my expenses!"

"Charon wants a pay raise," Percy blurted out. He immediately regretted it when Hades looked even more infuriated.

"Don't get me started on Charon!" Hades yelled. "He's been impossible ever since he discovered Italian suits! Problems everywhere, and I've got to handle all of them personally. The commute time alone from the palace to the gates is enough to drive me insane! And the dead just keep arriving. _No,_ godling. I need no help getting subjects! I did not ask for this war."

"But you took Zeus's master bolt."

"Lies!" More rumbling. Hades rose from his throne, towering to the height of a football goalpost. "Your father may fool Zeus, boy, but I am not so stupid. I see his plan."

"His plan?"

 _"You_ were the thief on the winter solstice," he accused. "Your father thought to keep you his little secret. He directed you into the throne room on Olympus, You took the master bolt _and_ my helmet. Had I not sent my Fury to discover you at Yancy Academy, Poseidon might have succeeded in hiding his scheme to start a war. But now you have been forced into the open. You will be exposed as Poseidon's thief, and I will have my helmet back!"

I looked up at him in astonishment. "Your Helmet of Darkness is missing?"

Hades turned his raged-filled face at me. "Don't play your pretense at me, boy!" He barked as I took a step back out of fright. "You and that girl have been helping this hero—coming here to threaten me in Poseidon's name, no doubt—to bring me an ultimatum. Does Poseidon think I can be blackmailed into supporting him?"

"No!" Percy shouted, clearly offended. "Poseidon didn't—I didn't—"

"I have said nothing of the helmet's disappearance," Hades snarled, "because I had no illusions that anyone on Olympus would offer me the slightest justice, the slightest help. I can ill afford for word to get out that my most powerful weapon of fear is missing. So I searched for you myself, and when it was clear you were coming to me to deliver your threat, I did not try to stop you."

"You didn't try to stop us? But—"

"Return my helmet now, or I will stop death," Hades threatened. "That is my counter proposal. I will open the earth and have the dead pour back into the world. I will make your lands a nightmare. And you, Percy Jackson— _your_ skeleton will lead my army out of Hades."

Talk about a predicament.

The skeletal soldiers all took one step forward, making their weapons ready. There was no way out now.

"You're as bad as Zeus," Percy said. "You think I stole from you? That's why you sent the Furies after me?"

"Of course," Hades answered.

"And the other monsters?"

Hades curled his lip. "I had nothing to do with them. I wanted no quick death for you—I wanted you brought before me alive so you might face every torture in the Fields of Punishment. Why do you think I let you enter my kingdom so easily?"

_"Easily?"_

"Return my property!"

"But I don't have your helmet. I came for the master bolt."

"Which you already possess!" Hades shouted back. "You came here with it, little fool, thinking you could threaten me!"

Already possessed? But how- _oh_. So that force back then, was it actually...

Percy protested, "but I didn't!"

"Open your pack, then."

Percy stopped rumbling, suddenly looking hesitant. He slung it off my shoulder and unzipped it _._ Inside was a two-foot-long metal cylinder, spiked on both ends, humming with energy.

I knew we shouldn't have trusted Ares.

"Percy," Annabeth said. "How—"

"I—I don't know. I don't understand."

"You heroes are always the same," Hades said. "Your pride makes you foolish, thinking you could bring such a weapon before me. I did not ask for Zeus's master bolt, but since it is here, you will yield it to me. I am sure it will make an excellent bargaining tool. And now...my helmet. Where is it?"

"Lord Hades, wait," Percy said. "This is all a mistake."

"A mistake?" Hades roared.

The skeletons aimed their weapons. From high above, there was a fluttering of leathery wings, and the three Furies swooped down to perch on the back of their master's throne.

"There is no mistake," Hades said, "I know why you have come—I know the _real_ reason you brought the bolt. You came to bargain for _her_."

Hades loosed a ball of gold fire from his palm, exploding it on the steps in front of us. Inside, I could see a woman around her late thirties- Percy's mother.

Percy took a step forward, his hand slightly raised.

"Yes," Hades said with satisfaction. "I took her. I knew, Percy Jackson that you would come to bargain with me eventually. Return my helmet, and perhaps I will let her go. She is not dead, you know. Not yet. But if you displease me, that will change."

Percy stared at the frozen being that was his mom; he reached unconsciously into his pocket and pulled out the pearls.

"Ah, the pearls," Hades said, "Yes, my brother and his little tricks. Bring them forth, Percy Jackson." Percy immediately showed them to him, as if forced, "Only three…What a shame. You do realize each only protects a single person. Try to take your mother, then, little godling. And which of your friends will you leave behind to spend eternity with me? Go on. Choose. Or give me the backpack and accept my terms."

Percy gave us a glance. "We were tricked. Set up."

"Yes, but why?" Annabeth asked.

"I don't know yet," Percy said, "but I intend to ask."

"Decide, boy!" Hades yelled.

"So what should we do?" I asked them. "There's no way out. And there are only 3 pearls."

"I'll stay," Annabeth said with resolution, her eyes grim. "Use the third pearl on your mom." I looked at her in surprise.

"Who said anything about _you_ staying? What I meant, is that _I'm_ to stay here. Not the other way around." Annabeth's eyes flashed.

"You? How are you to defend yourself here? You and your quiver of arrows? In case you hadn't noticed Seth, your arrows are _limited_. _"_

"As if you can defend yourself any better!" I retorted back. "If worse comes to worse, I have better endurance than either of you."

"Would you like to put that to the test?"

"Shut up both of you!" Percy shouted at us. We quickly stopped bickering as we stared at him in surprise. He remained silent for a moment, thinking things through, and then he walked forward and faced each of us, and there was this look of determination in his eyes...

"I know what to do," Percy said quietly. "Take these."

He handed each of us a pearl. I was taken aback.

Annabeth said, "but, Percy..."

He paid her no heed as he walked to where his mother was. He stared at her for a moment and then at the pearl in his hand. For a moment, I thought he was thinking of staying here himself, but that thought soon diminished when we walked back towards us, the pearl still clutched in his hand.

"I'm sorry," Percy said to his mother. "I'll be back. I'll find a way."

The smug look on Hades' face faded. "Godling...?"

"I'll find your helmet, Uncle," Percy told him. "I'll return it. Remember Charon's pay raise."

"Do not defy me—"

"And it wouldn't hurt to play with Cerberus once in a while. He likes red rubber balls."

"Percy Jackson, you will not—"

Percy shouted. "Now, guys!"

We smashed the pearls at our feet. For a scary moment, nothing happened.

Hades yelled, "destroy them!"

The army of skeletons rushed forward, swords out, guns clicking to full automatic. The Furies lunged, their whips bursting into flame.

Just as the skeletons opened fire, the pearl fragments at my feet exploded with a burst of green light and a gust of fresh sea wind. I was encased in a milky white sphere, which was starting to float off the ground. Spears and bullets bounced off harmlessly as the three of us floated upward…

"Look up!" I cried out, pointing towards the ceiling. "We're going to crash!"

"How do you control these things?" Annabeth shouted.

"I don't think you do!" Percy shouted back.

We screamed as the bubbles slammed into the ceiling and ... nothing.

There was a strange sensation as I tried to make out what lied beyond my safety bubble. By the time I had a clear view, I saw how we were soaring upward from _under_ the ocean.

 _Oh no, oh no_ …..I thought desperately. _Please don't make the bubble pop._

Apparently, the gods were not on my side today as all of us suddenly dropped into the water.

I screeched in fright as my arms and legs splashed about. I quickly grabbed on to what was closest to me, which to my great embarrassment, was Percy.

"Whoa man," Percy said as I clung to his shoulders in desperation. "Calm down!"

"' _Calm down?_ '" I snapped, hyperventilating. " _Calm down?!_ I'll calm down once we're on land!"

"You can't swim, Seth?" Annabeth said curiously, swimming towards us.

I glared. "No, I can't swim. Never got a chance to learn, alright?" I yelped when Percy made a sudden movement. "D-don't do that!"

"Why not? There's a life buoy a few feet away. Grab onto that."

"B-but I'll drown!"

Percy rolled his eyes. "No, you won't. Just paddle your way there for a bit and you'll reach it."

"Easy for you to say," I muttered. A moment, I whispered, "how...how do you _paddle_?"

If it weren't for the Quest and world that was at stake, I could have sworn I saw Percy smirk.

"Thought you never ask."

-o-


	18. Happy Ever After?

When the coastal guard came to pick us up, we tried to act as normal as possible. After all, it wasn't everyday that one would find three stranded kids in the middle of the ocean, and with street clothes on to boot. Thankfully, the guards were rather busy that day due to severe storms we'd been having, and didn't ask too many questions.

After we reached land, I sunk down on the sand immediately, completely tired out. My companions did the same, and Percy willed himself dried when no one else was around.

As we sat down in silence, watching the sunset, each of us thought over what had occurred in the Underworld.

"I don't believe it," Annabeth started. "We went all that way—"

"It was a trick," Percy said with an accusing tone, "a strategy worthy of Athena."

"Hey," she warned.

"You get it, don't you?"

She dropped her eyes, her anger fading. "Yeah, I get it."

"I had a feeling something was missing," I admitted. "Back then, when we were speculating about what the Kindly Ones said on the bus? I think all of us knew there was a possibility that something wasn't right, but we were too scared to go through with that option," I sighed, feeling a headache coming in. "but I never expected something like this."

Annabeth agreed. "You're right, and look where we are now."

"We need to keep moving," Percy said suddenly, forcing himself up. "Ready to go?"

We nodded, and slowly but surely got back up and the three of us were on our way.

"The prophecy was right," Percy said after a while. "' _You shall go west and face the god who has turned_ ', but it wasn't Hades. Hades didn't want war among the Big Three. Someone else pulled off the theft. Someone stole Zeus' master bolt, and Hades' helm, and framed me because I'm Poseidon's kid. Poseidon will get blamed by both sides. By sundown today, there will be a three-way war. And I'll have caused it."

"And look who decided to turn up…" I said narrowly, as we came to an abrupt stop, facing the god who was responsible for all this.

He looked the same as I remembered: That black leather jacket, tight black jeans, red-tinted shades, and that cocky smirk was all there. He was seated on his prized Harley, waiting for us.

"Hey kid," Ares said with a bit too much glee. "You were supposed to die."

"You tricked me," Percy said angrily.  _"You_ stole the helm and the master bolt."

Ares grinned. "Well, now, I didn't steal them personally. Gods taking each other's symbols of power—that's a big no-no. But you're not the only hero in the world who can run errands."

"Who did you use? Clarisse? She was there at the Winter Solstice."

"Doesn't matter. The point is, kid, you're impeding the war effort. See, you got to die in the Underworld. Then Old Seaweed will be mad at Hades for killing you. Corpse Breath will have Zeus' master bolt, so Zeus'll be mad at  _him._ And Hades is still looking for this…"

He took out what looked like a normal black cap, but when he placed it between the handlebars, the cap morphed into that of…

"The helm of darkness," I said quietly. So that's where it went.

"Exactly," Ares said. "Now where was I? Oh yeah, Hades will be mad at both Zeus and Poseidon, because he doesn't know who took this. Pretty soon, we got a nice little three-way slugfest going."

"But they're your family!" Annabeth protested.

Ares shrugged. "Best kind of war. Always the bloodiest. Nothing like watching your relatives fight I always say."

"You gave me the backpack in Denver," Percy recalled. "The master bolt was in there the whole time."

"Yes and no," Ares said. "It's probably too complicated for your little mortal brain to follow, but the backpack is the master bolt's sheath, just morphed a bit. The bolt is connected to it, sort of like that sword you got, kid. It always returns to your pocket, right?"

_So that explains why I didn't sense it before_ , I thought,  _but how did I sense the bolt in the first place?_

I had no clue.

"Anyway," Ares continued, "I tinkered with the magic a bit, so the bolt would only return to the sheath once you reached the Underworld. You get close to Hades... Bingo, you got mail. If you died along the way—no loss. I still had the weapon."

"But why not just keep the master bolt for yourself?" Percy said. "Why send it to Hades?"

Ares was about to make a remark, when he suddenly seemed distracted. "Why didn't I...yeah...with that kind of fire power ..."

His pondering cleared after a few seconds. "I didn't want the trouble. Better to have you caught red-handed, holding the thing."

"You're lying," Percy said. "Sending the bolt to the Underworld wasn't your idea, was it?"

"Of course it was!" Smoke drifted up from his sunglasses, like they were about to catch fire.

"You didn't order the theft," Percy guessed. "Someone else sent a hero to steal the two items. Then, when Zeus sent you to hunt him down, you caught the thief. But you didn't turn him over to Zeus. Something convinced you to let him go. You kept the items until another hero could come along and complete the delivery. That thing in the pit is ordering you around."

" _I am the god of war!_ " Ares exclaimed, "I take orders from no one! I don't have dreams!"

_Dreams?_

Percy also noticed. "Who said anything about dreams?"

Ares looked agitated, which he tried to cover with a smirk.

"Let's get back to the problem at hand, kid. You're alive. I can't have you taking that bolt to Olympus. You just might get those hardheaded idiots to listen to you. So I've got to kill you. Nothing personal."

He snapped his fingers. The sand exploded at his feet and out charged a wild boar, even larger and uglier than the one whose head hung above the door of cabin seven at Camp Half-Blood. The beast pawed the sand, glaring at Percy with beady eyes as it lowered its razor-sharp tusks, ready to charge.

Percy brandished his sword and stepped forward. "Fight me yourself, Ares."

"Ha," Ares scoffed, his sunglasses nearly burnt to bits. "No direct involvement. Sorry, kid. You're not at my level."

Annabeth said, "Percy, run!"

The giant boar charged.

Just as the pig was about to skewer him, Percy dodged just as fast. He lifted his sword upwards, giving a long deadly slash on the boar's side. When the boar landed on its feet, it became disoriented and continued to charge into the ocean. When Percy gave the command, a huge wave swallowed the beast whole.

Percy swung his sword back and forth, getting the blood off its blade as it glimmered in the sun. He turned to face Ares, who was starting to look pissed. "Are you going to fight me now? Or are you going to hide behind another pet?"

Ares' face was red with rage. "Watch it, kid. I could turn you into—"

"A cockroach," Percy taunted, "or a tapeworm. Yeah, I'm sure. That'd save you from getting your godly hide whipped, wouldn't it?"

Flames danced along the top of his glasses. "Oh, man, you are really asking to be smashed into a grease spot."

"If I lose, turn me into anything you want. Take the bolt. If I win, the helm and the bolt are mine and  _you_ have to go away."

Ares sneered.

He swung the baseball bat off his shoulder. "How would you like to get smashed: classic or modern?"

Percy lifted his sword.

"That's cool, dead boy," he said. "Classic it is." The baseball bat changed into a huge, two-handed sword. The hilt was a large silver skull with a ruby in its mouth.

"Percy," Annabeth said. "Don't do this. He's a god."

"He's a coward," Percy told her.

She swallowed. "Wear this, at least. For luck."

She took off the necklace with the five beads and her father's ring.

"Reconciliation," she said. "Athena and Poseidon together."

Percy was slightly taken aback, then he managed a small smile. "Thanks."

I stepped forward, awkward, because I didn't know what I could give him. Annabeth had set the bar pretty high; I had no Camp necklace, and I didn't own anything as fancy as a family ring. I also wasn't deluded enough to offer advice or physical support when I doubted it would matter if I did. Percy was only twelve years old, who only arrived at Camp less than a month ago, and he was going up against a war god. Despite the overwhelming odds, however, I somehow found myself _hoping_  for Percy's success. There was just something about this kid that made me want to try, to hope, to be  _better_  than what I am. I never thought I'd feel like this after what happened that fateful night.

To want to _live_  again.

I rummaged through my bag, and my fingers caught hold of something that might help and quickly placed it in Percy's hand.

It was Clare's precious vial.

"What is this?" Percy asked, lifting the small container to see it better.

I swallowed, "It's Clare's. She gave it to me before we left. It's a healing potion of sorts. You know, in case you need it. I-I know it's not much, but..."

"Thank you," Percy said, placing a firm hand on my shoulder. He gave a sincere smile. "This is more than enough, Seth."

Again, I felt that warm feeling settling back in, and nodded. "Yeah, it sure is. So go teach Ares a lesson, will you?" I said, giving his shoulder a pat. "I'll be wanting that back."

"I will."

"You done saying good-bye?" Ares sneered, his black leather duster trailing behind him, his sword glinting like fire in the sunrise. "I've been fighting for eternity, kid. My strength is unlimited and I cannot die. What have you got?"

_How about friends?_ I thought, and then I became a little startled.

Since when did I begin considering Percy and Annabeth my friends? Was it when Percy saved my life? Or was it when Annabeth gave me support in the wheeler? I guessed it didn't matter now, I was glad to have them by my side.

Annabeth and I made sure to back away a few feet before the fighting starts. For the first half of the fight, we were silent: each of us wishing the best of luck to Percy. It was until we heard sirens in the distance that made us got up and grew more alert. I turned around briefly, and saw police cruisers and motorcycles were surrounding the area. Their guns trained on Percy and Ares.

"Freeze!" a police officer called out, his pistol trained on Percy.

"Percy!" Annabeth yelled as a gun went off. "Cops!"

Thankfully, Percy noticed and dodged the bullet easily. However, Ares took opportunity of this distraction and knocked Percy's blade off his hand and kicked him in the chest: causing Percy to become airborne until he landed in a sand dune.

He got back up slowly, though his whole body seemed to be out of focus. Ares aimed a slash to his side which Percy blocked, albeit with some difficulty.

"There, officer!" somebody yelled. "See?"

A gruff cop voiced, "looks like that kid on TV...what the heck?"

"That guy's armed," another cop said. "Call for backup."

"Admit it, kid," Ares said as he watched Percy stagger to stand up straight. "You got no hope. I'm just toying with you."

Percy didn't say anything, his back towards us so I couldn't see how he was feeling. I glanced at Annabeth, who was still watching the battle intensely.

"Do you think Percy has a chance against him?" I asked, my eyes not straying from the battle.

Annabeth answered, "The odds may not be in his favor, but Percy is smart. He should have figured out Ares' weak point by now." She stopped when she noticed my staring. "What?"

"You called Percy smart." She blushed lightly.

"Well, he could use his brain once in awhile," she admitted quietly. When she noticed my grin, she added quickly, "D-Don't tell him I said that!"

"My lips are sealed," I said, still grinning.

We continued to observe the fight. The sirens have gotten louder as more police cars came onto the scene, apparently the noise and spectators were enough to drive Ares insane when he summoned a red flame wall to wipe out those that were getting too close.

More screaming.

Ares and Percy continued dealing each other blows, neither getting a hit on the other. Percy kept maneuvering however, and soon both were at least ankle deep into the water. Percy eventually got the advantage: summoning a large wave that blinded Ares momentarily as Percy rode on overhead like a pro surfer. He took the chance of the distraction and aimed.

A loud, deafening roar followed as the sea was forcefully pushed back from Ares. A pool of golden Ichor surrounded the god's injured heel. Ares' expression was beyond hatred. If looks could kill, then Ares would have murdered Percy a thousand times over.

Ares limped towards him, muttering obscene Greek curses.

But the strange thing was that he suddenly stopped. Light faded. Sound and color drained away. A cold, heavy presence passed over the beach, slowing time, dropping the temperature to freezing. I suddenly felt lost, hopeless. As if everything I had been doing so far was pointless.

The darkness lifted.

Ares looked stunned.

Spectators and police have fled the scene. The water returned back to its resting place.

Ares lowered his sword.

"You have made an enemy, godling!" he told Percy. " _You have sealed your fate. Every time you raise your blade in battle, every time you hope for success, you will feel my curse. Beware, Perseus Jackson. Beware._ "

His body began to glow.

''Percy!" Annabeth shouted. "Don't watch!"

All of us lowered our gaze as Ares revealed his true form. I only dared to lift my head when the shimmering golden light had died down. Ares has disappeared. Only the Helm of Darkness lied in the sand. Percy reached down and picked up the helmet. Before Annabeth and I could have a chance to go to him, the Furies descended. They conversed for awhile with Percy handing the Helm of Darkness to the lead Fury. They flew away soon after.

Percy walked towards us, his expression grim.

"Well, at least that is one symbol of power returned," I said to him. He nodded.

"Did you guys feel that? Whatever it was?" Percy asked. He looked worried.

We both nodded.

"Where do you think that came from?" I asked.

Percy shrugged. "Maybe the Furies? But I doubt it. Annabeth?"

Annabeth shook her head. "Let's not talk about it right now. We need to find a way to get to New York and  _fast_."

I raised an eyebrow. "But that's impossible. Unless…" I shared an uneasy glance with Percy.

"Unless we  _fly_." Percy finished.

Annabeth stared at Percy in disbelief. "Fly, like, in an airplane, which you were warned never to do lest Zeus strike you out of the sky,  _and_ carrying a weapon that has more destructive power than a nuclear bomb?"

"Yeah," Percy said. "Exactly like that. Come on."

-o-

When we finally left the beach, we were some bombarded with reporters and spectators of every news channel I could think of. Percy, according to the news, was just a 'poor, unfortunate bystander that somehow got mixed up with the wrong folk'. The explosion at the Santa Monica beach had been caused when a crazy kidnapper (a.k.a. Ares) fired a shotgun at a police car. He accidentally hit a gas main that had ruptured during the earthquake. Witnesses from the diner and the bus explosion had even volunteered to provide further proof of our 'innocence'.

I was starting to really like the Mist.

When the reporter had finally given us the whole so called adventure of terror the three of us had endured, I had tried hiding my laughter-giving me a convincing tearful look. Annabeth was just exhausted from the whole thing: Nodding to this and that while taking the chance to rest up. Percy was a different story. He seemed to really dig into the 'Brave Percy Jackson' the reporters have been labeling him as. I didn't think I had seen him so giddy since the first day he came to camp.

"All I want," Percy said, choking back his fake tears, "is to see my loving stepfather again. Every time I saw him on TV, calling me a delinquent punk, I knew ... somehow ... we would be okay. And I know he'll want to reward each and every person in this beautiful city of Los Angeles with a free major appliance from his store. Here's the phone number." The police and reporters were so moved by Percy's speech that they passed around the hat and raised money for three tickets on the next plane to New York.

Now I was really unsure about Percy's lying skills. He continued to surprise me.

When we boarded the plane, I couldn't help but feel excited. This was my first time in a plane. When the plane took off, I had my eyes glued to the side window while Percy clenched his hands onto the armrests fearfully. I tried easing him up by pointing at some well known sights, but that plan seemed to backfire when I made Percy even  _more_  aware of the flying.

Oh well, at least I was enjoying myself.

Sometime later, I fell into a deep sleep. This time, I was shaken awake by Percy, who looked like he didn't get an ounce of sleep (poor guy), telling me we had arrived at the La Guardia terminal.

Just like in Los Angeles, we were once again bombarded with reporters who annoyingly blocked our every exit. When we finally managed to find an opening, we sped off towards stairs while Annabeth (who was wearing her invisibility cap) lead them away shouting, "they're over by the frozen yogurt! Come on!" then rejoined us at baggage claim.

It was when we reached the taxi stand that Percy said that we should split up.

"What? Why?" Annabeth and I shouted at once.

Percy said, "it's for the best."

"There's no way we are splitting up," Annabeth said under her breath, "not after everything we've been through."

"Give us areason why we should split up," I allowed. "Then, we'll think about it. Otherwise, you're not going to shake us off that easily."

Percy sighed, expecting this. "Someone has to get back to Camp Half Blood to tell them what happened. Someone's got to inform Chiron of all this." When he saw we were about to protest he spoke up again, "I just got to do this alone alright? The prophecy…"

That got my attention. "Fine. I get it. Say hello to the gods for me." I climbed into the cab with Annabeth following after me into the passenger seat. Annabeth told the driver the address and soon we were headed towards our destination. That was the last time we saw Percy Jackson.

"We'll see him again," Annabeth reassured me.

I nodded, "I know, but does he really need to put up the hero act? It's obvious he thinks he's protecting us when we don't need it. The gods will believe him.  _They have to_."

"He's a seaweed brain," she said. "Being ridiculous is his second nature."

We laughed a little at that.

"Did you get the experience you wanted?" I recalled. "The one in the  _real world_?"

She smiled. "Yeah, and a lot more than I bargained for, but it was worth it. How about you?"

"It's the same," I said. Definitely a lot more than I thought.

A moment of silence.

"Seth, I just want you to know..." she started.

"Yeah?" We should be getting to the Lincoln Tunnel soon.

"I know who she is. Your mother." I nearly choked; my eyes frantic.  _She knows_?! Then, would that mean…?

Annabeth placed on a hand on my shoulder, quickly putting a stop to my panic.

_"Don't worry!_ " Annabeth said quickly, noticing how wide my eyes have gotten. "I didn't tell anyone. Not even Percy."

I couldn't meet her eyes, and I struggled to calm down. Once I regained my bearings, I asked when she found out.

"That time when you were unconscious," she admitted. "When you were asleep at the motel, I realize how, um, _similar_  you look to someone I've met."

"You met her before?" I asked warily.

She nodded. "Before you arrived at camp, some of the senior campers were allowed to visit Olympus during the winter or summer solstices. I was there during the last Winter Solstice."

I sighed, slumping back against my seat. "That long...oh gods, I should have expected this. I know how much we look alike. Must have been a shocker huh?"

She thought about it. "Now that I think about it, it really isn't too much of a surprise. You have your mother's talent of archery and hand to hand combat. Your night vision should have been a major hint, but I just didn't…"

"You didn't believe it?"

She nodded.

"Figures," I mumbled.

"I am curious about one thing though."

"Hm?"

She hesitated. "Did she, you know,  _break her vow_?"

I rolled my eyes. Again, it was another expected question I should have saw coming. "Do you really think a _virgin_  goddess, who is a staunch hater of the male race, would suddenly break her damn vow," Annabeth slightly winced at the swear word, "when she hadn't for a millennium or two?" I shook my head at my rhetorical question. "No, Annabeth. She would _never_  do that. Not for anyone."

Annabeth nodded slowly, still puzzled. "Then, how were you…?"

"Born? Well, how were  _you_  conceived?" I said back. Annabeth's face became red.

"So you're saying Artemis has a way of…oh." Comprehension was present on her features.

"Yeah… _oh_."

"Do the gods know about this?" she asked.

"Oh  _sure_. All of them are aware of it. They're the ones that allowed it after all."

"And Chiron?"

"Probably. I confronted him about it once. He seems to have known about it already though." I answered.

She remained silent for a moment, pondering over the new-found information.

"Anything else?" I said, a bit sarcastic, though my sarcasm was only a cover. I was still nervous about how Annabeth was taking in this piece of earth-shattering news.

She asked, "are you okay with telling me all this? You're not just telling me because I'm asking you to right? It's okay if you want to keep it to yourself."

I blinked. Her consideration surprised me. "I'm alright with it. You're...a friend. I trust you wouldn't say anything?"

She smiled. "I won't."

"What are you thinking?" I asked her. She looked at me questionably. "Aren't you…I don't know, offended? I've been keeping this from you and everyone else for a long while."

"I'm not offended," she said sincerely. "I don't blame you for hiding this. I probably would have hid my identity if I was in your situation. It's a lot to take in. I always assumed my mother was the only one who knew how to have, um, children the other way. To think Artemis also had another method…I'm just really surprised."

"I see," I said quietly. "So you don't think I'm strange or something?"

She shook her head and give a light laugh. "Don't worry, Seth- you're still the same awkward dork I know. No bizarre parentage is going to change that."

I smiled briefly. "Thanks."

When the cab finally stopped near the strawberry fields, Annabeth paid the driver and the two of us made our way to the camp entrance. The skies were dark and rumbling with thunder. It looked like a huge downpour of rain was about to fall any second.

Once we went past the magical border, the two of us were immediately surrounded with campers. Each of them bombarding us with questions about the Quest, and when they realized Percy wasn't here, more questions.

We only managed to have some space when Chiron sounded his horn. Everyone stopped chatting and looked up towards him. I saw Clare and Luke in the crowd, each of them looking confused and dying for answers.

"Seth Hunter and Annabeth Chase," Chiron started, as he trotted towards us. "Has the Quest been completed? And if so, where is Percy Jackson?" Up close, I could see the curiosity in his eyes with a trace of…sadness?

Were they actually assuming…?

"Percy is alive and well," I answered. "He is currently returning the lightning bolt at Mount Olympus." A gasp of amazement went through the crowd. "He sent us ahead to inform you of his whereabouts and what we have learned during our Quest." I gave a glance to Annabeth, who began to explain.

"During our bus ride west…" she started as the crowds of campers began to gather closer. The sky was dark with thunder rumbling over the distance.

I hoped we weren't too late.

-o-

For the next few hours, each of us sat in our designated cabins-praying that the gods would be…reasonable and believed his story. It was when a camper started shouting out ejaculations that all of us noticed the change of scenery.

The clouds were turning to its normal shade of white, the deep blue color of the sky becoming visible.

The storm was over.

I smiled as my friends and comrades started laughing and giving cheers of relief. My companions also gave me congratulatory pats on the back for apparent success of the Quest. Annabeth and I met up halfway between the cabins and instantly gave each other a friendly hug, which sort of became a little awkward afterwards.

The cheers became deafening when Percy arrived at camp. Each of the campers holstered Percy, Annabeth, and me onto their shoulders, leading us to the main house to receive the laurels. The Hermes Cabin were the ones responsible for creating mine: a light tan cloth filled with flying shoes, bows and arrows, and other wacky designs (courtesy of the Stoll brothers). But hey, I shouldn't be complaining. It was better than Percy's at least, whose laurel was made by the Ares cabin. Apparently, they thought this was the best way of revenge for the humiliation the Quest brought upon their dad.

Percy didn't care in the slightest.

After the ceremony, Percy eventually gave back the vial Clare made for me and returned Annabeth's bead necklace. Right now, the three of us were beside the edge of the lake. Tired from the Quest and enjoying the serene view.

"What a night, huh?" Annabeth said to us as she lied on her back.

"Yeah," I said, while admiring the vial I had in my hands. It was a pity I sort of forgotten about it. Imagine the usefulness if I drank it after my battle with Echidna. Oh well.

"Tired from being heroes?" Percy said playfully, before his expression turned solemn. "I suppose."

"What are we going to do now?" I wondered. "Do we just...go back to what we had before this started?"

Annabeth smiled warily. "I don't think that's possible, Seth. Quests tend to change a person. Plus," she gave me and Percy a glance, "my mind has opened up a lot more after learning so many things from you guys." She gave me a nudge, and I looked at her sheepishly. She's definitely going to demand more answers from me. I'd be lucky to escape becoming her new research project.

"W-we can use more open-minded people," I gulped, forcing my attention away from the attentive daughter of Athena. "What about you Percy?" He didn't respond. "Percy?"

Percy became startled. "Oh…yeah."

"Is something wrong?" I questioned.

"No, at least…I don't think so. I mean, the prophecy has been fulfilled, hasn't it?"

"Of course," Annabeth said slowly, looking confused. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"You're right. It's nothing." Percy said quickly. I looked at him curiously for a moment, wondering if I should push him into telling us what's really up, but decided against it. It's been a while since I rested peacefully, and I didn't want whatever was bothering Percy to disturb tonight's sleep. We had time after all; save that for another day.

"It's getting late," I said, noticing the sunset. "I should get going if I want to start my practices on time."

Annabeth said, "Classes are cancelled tomorrow. Chiron decided to give all of us a break in order to celebrate the Quest's victory."

"Either way, I want to keep my skills sharp." I said. I got up and shoved the vial into my jeans pocket. "Oh yes, and Percy?" Percy gave me a glance. "Don't think I forgot about those archery lessons I owe you." I gave a laugh when I saw his disappointment, clearly not happy I remembered.

"Oh come on, can we just call it quits?" Percy pleaded.

"Alright, alright," I dismissed. "Maybe another time. See you guys tomorrow."

"See you Seth," they answered.

I departed from the lake. I found Clare sitting at the front of her cabin. The aroma of different plants and flowers was vibrant. She looked up from her book as I approached, giving an amused smile.

"See? I told you guys you all will be alive," she pointed out.

I rolled my eyes at her sarcasm. "Hey Clare. I missed you too."

"What did you stop by here for?" she asked.

"Oh that," I pulled out the vial she gave me a week ago. "I wanted to give this back to you. We never did get the chance to use it."

She gave a brief glance at the vial in my hands and sighed. "Seth, when I handed that vial to you, I said you could have it. Whether you used it or not is not my problem."

I blinked. "Are you sure? This must have took awhile to make and—!"

"Just take it already, you idiot," she said. "Who knows? Maybe you might use it another time."

"If you're so sure," I muttered, placing the vial back into my pocket.

"So what's it like being a hero?" she teased. "Enjoying the attention?"

"Embarrassed by it actually," I said. "Having kids point and look at you everywhere you go gets on my nerves. I'm not used to it."

"Don't worry too much about it. I'm sure it will die down eventually."

I nodded at her words. "But being a hero... I certainly don't feel like one. Sure I did my part on the Quest, but it doesn't make me a savior or something…" Clare started laughing. "What's so funny?"

"You!" she said, still laughing. When she noticed how confused I was, she willed herself to stop. "That's exactly what  _all_  heroes would say…ironically. You're just being humble, but don't worry about that," she said casually when I was about to protest, "that's what I like about you."

I felt my face heat up. "Yeah, whatever. I'm going to head for my cabin. I'm tired."

"Then go ahead," she said, "I'm not stopping you."

Without further adieu, I quickly headed towards my cabin. I stopped for a moment when I reached Cabin Eight. As I admired the silver columns and slender design upon its walls, I wondered if things would have been different if I was claimed during my first few weeks of camp. Would I have been able to fit in with the other campers? Would the friends I have now still be talking to me? Or would they have turned their backs on me like I was some kind of outcast?

I didn't want to know, but I had a feeling Artemis was going to claim me sooner or later whether I wanted her to or not. I'd have to hope for the best when that happened.

For now, I was happy to be alive.

-o-


	19. Treachery

When Chiron told me that he needed to inform me of something of upmost importance, I didn't think much of it, but the newspaper that he had sprawled across his desk told me otherwise:

_Survivor from Infamous St. Clair Fire Discovered_

"When did you get this?" I whispered, keeping my emotions in check. I felt like crying like a baby from the influx of relief that was building by the second.

Chiron looked at me calmly and smiled. "I just received the news just this morning. I thought you might want to take a look at it."

I nodded, looking at the glaring headlines. For a moment, I couldn't find anything to say. It was too surreal.

"C-could I?" Chiron gave a brief nod.

"Argus will be prepared to take you there shortly." he replied curtly.

I nodded as I got up. "Thank you, Chiron. That means a lot to me."

"Be careful Seth," he warned. "Monsters are still roaming about."

I smiled as I looked back, my hand at the door. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

-o-

As I walked out of the Hermes cabin with my things in great haste, I apparently attracted some attention.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?" Clare called out behind me.

"I'm going to the outside world for a bit." I said without preamble. "Something came up, and Chiron granted me permission to go."

"Hmm," Clare hummed thoughtfully. "Must be important for you to get all worked up. Something good?"

I smiled genuinely, feeling happier than I had in months. "Definitely."

"Well!" she exclaimed, "I hope you have a good time." Just when she was about to go, something made me call her back.

"Actually," I started as she turned around, "would you like to come with me? There is someone I would like you to meet." Although I wasn't sure whether it was Ms. Lewinsky or one of the kids that survived, I was sure any of them would be happy to meet her.

Clare raised an eyebrow. "Really? Who is this person?"

I shrugged. "Not sure yet. Come on, let's go. Argus is waiting."

-o-

The hospital was busy as Argus parked in front of the entrance. Doctors and nurses were rushing here and there as Clare and I sat in the waiting room.

"Mr. Hunter?" the secretary called. I got up instantly.

"That will be me." I said as Clare got up beside me.

"The patient is ready to see you now. She is located at Rm. 215," she said as she handed me a pass.

I nodded, and gave her my thanks as Clare and I proceeded to the stairway. So the patient was female. The survivor could either be Ms. Lewinsky or one of the girls. When we stopped at the designated room, Clare gave a tug on my sleeve.

"I think I should wait outside," she said quietly. "I don't know who this patient is to you, but I'm sure you would want to converse privately." I smiled at her consideration.

"Thank you, Clare," I said. "I'll call you when she's ready."

With a nod, she stepped back, and sat on one of the empty benches as I opened the door.

A young girl with light blond hair sat upright on the bed. Her forehead and forearms were bandaged. There was a heart monitor close by, giving a steady beep. When the girl turned around and noticed me, the beeping noise became louder and more rapid.

"Seth!" she cried out, her face becoming radiant. "You're okay! I thought…I thought I wouldn't see you again!" She opened her arms wide as I embraced her, her head under my chin.

" _Lucy._ " I breathed, holding the small delicate girl that I knew since I was nine. "Thank goodness you're okay!" I released her from my grip to look at her more closely. "But how? How did you manage to escape? The exits were blocked and…" I stopped when she lowered her head from my gaze.

"Promise you won't be mad at me?" she said timidly.

I blinked at the absurdity of the question. "Mad? Why would I be mad for?"

"I don't know!" she exclaimed as she held onto me. "Just promise me, okay?"

"Alright," I said slowly. "Now tell me what happened to you."

"You know how I have trouble sleeping at night sometimes…" she said, looking up at me.

"Go on."

"I had a nightmare. I don't remember what it was, but that's not important." she started, "I…I followed you."

"Followed me? What do you mean by that?" I questioned.

"I heard you…during that one night when everyone else was asleep." she paused as I widened my eyes slightly. "You got out of the room very quickly. I was wondering what was wrong, so I followed you out the door a few minutes after. Then, as I was going down the stairs…there was a loud noise. It was so scary," she admitted, trembling slightly, "It was like an earthquake. Then I heard you calling outside and then it became quiet. I also wondered where you went and tried following you in the woods—!"

"Lucy!"

"I know! I know it was wrong! I knew how you told us many times that the woods were dangerous, but I was curious. But then I got lost, and some older girls found me and took care of me for awhile." She looked at me slowly to see my reaction. "Are you mad?"

I stared at her blankly for a moment, and then I laughed. I laughed and laughed and laughed while Lucy became increasingly frightened by my good mood.

"Seth, I—!" Her response was cut short when I gave her a suffocating hug.

"You silly girl!" I said while chuckling a bit. "You think I will be _mad_ that you survived? I'm _really happy_ Lucy. I could be the happiest person alive right now."

To think her curiosity ended up saving her life. Ironic.

"Oh." she said rather glumly as I released her. "So where were you all this time? I asked the older girls and told me not to worry. They said you were at a better place."

Those hunters…a better place they assumed would be my grave.

"They were right," I said, "I did find a place to stay." She was surprised.

" _You got adopted?!_ " She was so excited I didn't bother to correct her.

"Yeah."

Lucy tilted her head slightly. "Are they nice?"

I laughed. "Very…although some show it very differently."

"So what do they like doing? Do you play with them a lot?"

"To start off, many of them like doing gymnastics and fencing. We would sometimes wrestle while playing Capture the Flag. We also camp out often, and the food they make is always amazing." I finished.

"Wow," she said, "you must like them a lot."

I shrugged. "They're...not too bad."

"I'm glad you finally have a family, Seth," she said cheerfully, "I hope I find mine to be just as good as yours."

"Hey now," I scolded playfully, "you're still my favorite little sister. Nothing can change that."

"Okay."

"Anyway," I said, "I have someone I want you to meet."

"Huh? There's someone else here?" She asked.

I nodded as I signaled Clare the okay signal. When she entered, I introduced her. "This is Clare Evergreen. Clare, meet Lucy—she's my little sister, but not by blood."

Clare smiled sweetly as she knelt beside Lucy. "Hello, it's nice to meet you."

Lucy looked at her and then to me, and then back at her again. "So you're Seth's new sister!"

I nearly laughed when Clare was taken aback by the statement, she gave me a questionable glance: _What-did-you-tell-her-about-me?_

"Just go along, I'll explain later," I whispered. She nodded while giving a roll of her eyes.

-o-

The conversation lasted for approximately 2 hours and 34 minutes by the time we got back in Argus' car. Clare and Lucy were testing the waters around each other for the first few minutes: asking about their likes and dislikes and so forth. When Lucy ( _I couldn't believe she's alive_ ) brought up a rather…embarrassing moment when I tried wrestling with a snake with no protection gear on. As if that wasn't enough, Clare decided to share more of my embarrassing acts at camp—causing me to eventually leave the room to shut the stories out.

"I mean really, he chugged down _five_ cream pies under a minute!" Clare exclaimed as Lucy sat there giggling. I smacked my forehead in irritation.

"Like I said before Clare…who couldn't stand wipe cream? It's _addicting,_ " I tried to explain as they laughed harder, "and I only ate it that fast because you threatened to throw them all in the trash! A waste if you ask me."

"With good measure, Daniel (the son of Hecate) had used them already for his experiment—!"

"You _could_ have told me the pies were _a science project_!" I retorted.

"Not like you gave me a chance," Clare said. "You already ate up the first pie, might as well let you eat up the rest and see what happens."

"I had a horrible stomach ache for a week thanks to you." I grumbled. "I thought I will die of food poisoning." The food ended up changing my appearance, and caused me to vomit once every few hours. A hot pink hairdo was not cool at all.

"And this," Clare pointed out to Lucy. "...is what happens when you don't think before you act."

" _Clare_..." I warned.

"There was also another incident when Seth mistaken the Bull Moose (Chiron) for a ranged target…" Clare started with Lucy listening intently.

I left the room afterwards.

"Lucy is a sweet girl…" Clare was saying as we headed to Camp Half-Blood. "The way you act around her was surprising though."

I raised an eyebrow. "Surprising?"

"You were so cheerful, and a lot more, how should I say this— _upbeat_."

"I am 'upbeat' at camp!" I argued.

Clare scoffed. "Really? When I saw how you talked and acted around that girl, it was like you were a _completely_ different person. The Seth I'm used to seeing is more serious, morbid—"

"I'm _not_ morbid—!"

" _Yes you are_ ," she said with absolute certainty, and then she sighed, "I don't blame you for that, after hearing what happened to your family must have hurt a lot."

I didn't say anything to that. Clare was informed about what had happened to the orphanage I lived in from Lucy and the doctors. But she didn't know the whole story.

"You should try letting it go," she said softly, as I gaped at her. "What's past is past. Just look at how Lucy is doing. Try living your life for once."

 _It's not as easy as you think_ I muttered in my head, but out loud I said:

"I'll try."

-o-

The days passed quickly at Camp Half-Blood, and we were soon reaching August.

All too soon, the last day of summer had approached.

The campers had one last meal together. We burned part of our dinner for the gods. At the bonfire, the senior counselors awarded the end-of-summer beads.

I got my own leather necklace, and then I saw the bead for my first summer: a black bead with a green glowing trident at the front.

"The choice was unanimous," Luke announced. "This bead commemorates the first Son of the Sea God at this camp, and the quest he undertook into the darkest part of the Underworld to stop a war!"

Everyone cheered at his words and stood up (including the Ares cabin).

 _So the day has finally arrived_ , I thought as I stood among the Hermes cabin, I wondered if Percy or Annabeth would be staying the rest of the year or not. I noticed Clare among the crowd.

At least I'll have Clare for company.

The next morning I found a two folded up letter beside my sleeping bag. I grew irritated when I saw the first letter's contents:

_Dear_ _Sam Hudson_ _,_

_If you intend to stay at Camp Half-Blood year-round, you must inform the Big House by noon today. If you do not announce your intentions, we will assume you have vacated your cabin or died a horrible death. Cleaning harpies will begin work at sundown. They will be authorized to eat any unregistered campers. All personal articles left behind will be incinerated in the lava pit._

_Have a nice day!_

_Mr. D (Dionysus)_

_Camp Director, Olympian Council #12_

Cleaning harpies and the lava pit. I will like to see them try.

Besides, didn't I already inform them that I was staying year round? Dionysus must have gotten lazy (like always) and just handed a letter to everyone. Not caring if they informed the Big House or not. Sometimes, I wondered whether the gods were punishing us along with Mr. D.

I wished someone fired him. Everyone would be happy.

As for the second letter:

 _Meet me at the edge of the lake at dawn. I need to tell you something._ –Clare

I raised an eyebrow. Couldn't Clare just tell me at the pavilion or when we meet up during our cabin clean out sessions? Huh. Weird.

I gathered my archery equipment with me out of habit, and headed down towards the lake. It was around 8:50 in the early morning as I stood at the supposed meeting place. When it was 9 am, I still didn't see Clare. I waited a few more moments, just in case she was running late, but after 10, 15 minutes, I grew annoyed.

 _Clare must have done this as a prank_ , I thought angrily. I didn't even know if that's Clare's hand writing or not. It could have been the Stoll brothers or someone else at the Hermes Cabin. I was played a fool.

I shot off angrily towards the archery range to cool off some steam. I was making my way through the woods when I heard two people speaking.

It was Luke and…Percy?

What was he doing up so early? And in the middle of the woods no less.

I decided to creep up to them secretly, thinking this was good opportunity to scare the heck out of both of them. I stopped grinning when Luke summoned what looked like a scorpion out of nowhere, which quickly latched onto Percy's leg.

 _What in Hades is happening here?_ I thought, as I peered closer at them in the shade of the trees. Maybe Luke was just…joking around?

But that thought was cast aside when Percy attempted to reach for his weapon, Luke grinned, as if he found Percy's attempt amusing in some sick way.

"I saw a lot out there in the world, Percy," Luke was saying. "Didn't you feel it—the darkness gathering, the monsters growing stronger? Didn't you realize how useless it all is? All the heroes—being pawns of the gods. They should've been overthrown thousands of years ago, but they've hung on, thanks to us half-bloods."

I made up my mind, something _definitely_ was not right here. I tapped on a tree closest to me. A nymph appeared at the top of its branches, smiling coyly down at me.

"Can you please alert Chiron and possibly Lord Dionysus to come here immediately?" I whispered. "Tell them it's urgent." Maybe I was getting paranoid, but I did not enjoy seeing Percy -who was now trying to fight off the scorpion- being played around like that.

The nymph nodded, sensing the urgency in my tone, and hurried off to carry the message.

With that said, I continued to sit in wait as Luke carried on, who laughed at something Percy said.

"That's supposed to make me love them? Their precious 'Western civilization is a disease, Percy. It's killing the world. The only way to stop it is to burn it to the ground, start over with something more honest."

Coming from the guy who tricked us from the beginning, I remarked.

"You're as crazy as Ares." Percy spat.

His eyes flared. "Ares is a fool. He never realized the true master he was serving. If I had time, Percy, I could explain. But I'm afraid you won't live that long."

"Kronos," Percy said, "that's who you serve." My eyes widened.

_Oh my gods._

The air got colder.

"You should be careful with names," Luke warned.

"Kronos got you to steal the master bolt and the helm. He spoke to you in your dreams."

Luke's eye twitched. "He spoke to you, too, Percy. You should've listened."

"He's brainwashing you, Luke."

"You're wrong. He showed me that my talents are being wasted. You know what my quest was two years ago, Percy? My father, Hermes, wanted me to steal a golden apple from the Garden of the Hesperides and return it to Olympus. After all the training I'd done, _that_ was the best he could think up."

"That's not an easy quest," Percy said. "Hercules did it."

"Exactly," Luke said. "Where's the glory in repeating what others have done? All the gods know how to do is replay their past. My heart wasn't in it. The dragon in the garden gave me this"—he pointed angrily at his scar—"and when I came back, all I got was pity. I wanted to pull Olympus down stone by stone right then, but I bided my time. I began to dream of Kronos. He convinced me to steal something worthwhile, something no hero had ever had the courage to take. When we went on that winter solstice field trip, while the other campers were asleep, I snuck into the throne room and took Zeus' master bolt right from his chair. Hades' Helm of darkness, too. You wouldn't believe how easy it was. The Olympians are so arrogant; they never dreamed someone would dare steal from them. Their security is horrible. I was halfway across New Jersey before I heard the storms rumbling, and I knew they'd discovered my theft."

I saw Percy glancing down at his leg-the scorpion had creeped up even higher. I notched my arrow at the ready. If only Percy would just face my direction so I could see where the damn scorpion was.

"So why didn't you bring the items to Kronos?"

Luke's smile wavered. "I ... I got overconfident. Zeus sent out his sons and daughters to find the stolen bolt— Artemis, Apollo, my father, Hermes. But it was Ares who caught me. I could have beaten him, but I wasn't careful enough. He disarmed me, took the items of power, threatened to return them to Olympus and burn me alive. Then Kronos' voice came to me and told me what to say. I put the idea in Ares' head about a great war between the gods. I said all he had to do was hide the items away for a while and watch the others fight. Ares got a wicked gleam in his eyes. I knew he was hooked. He let me go, and I returned to Olympus before anyone noticed my absence." Luke drew his new sword. He ran his thumb down the flat of the blade.

"Afterwards, the Lord of the Titans ... h-he punished me with nightmares. I swore not to fail again. Back at Camp Half-Blood, in my dreams, I was told that a second hero would arrive, one who could be tricked into taking the bolt and the helm the rest of the way—from Ares down to Tartarus."

" _You_ summoned the hellhound, that night in the forest."

"We had to make Chiron think the camp wasn't safe for you, so he would start you on your quest. We had to confirm his fears that Hades was after you. And it worked." Then, Luke's face twisted to one of annoyance. "The flying shoes I gave you…they were suppose to drag the wearer down to Tartarus. But none of you wore them. I should have known you weren't allowed to be in Zeus' domain. But no matter," he said, brushing off the mistake like it was nothing, "You won't be living for long."

"Thalia gave her life to save you," Percy shouted, "and this is how you repay her?"

"Don't speak of Thalia!" he shouted. "The gods _let_ her die! That's one of the many things they will pay for."

"You're being used, Luke. You and Ares both. Don't listen to Kronos."

 _"I've_ been used?" Luke's voice turned shrill. "Look at yourself. What has your dad ever done for you? Kronos will rise. You've only delayed his plans. He will cast the Olympians into Tartarus and drive humanity back to their caves. All except the strongest—the ones who serve him."

"Call off the bug," Percy taunted. "If you're so strong, fight me yourself."

Luke smiled. "Nice try, Percy. But I'm not Ares. You can't bait me. My lord is waiting, and he's got plenty of quests for me to undertake."

"Luke—"

"Good-bye, Percy. There is a new Golden Age coming. You won't be part of it."

That was my que. I aimed two arrows at Luke: one grazed his cheek while the other scraped his leg. He cried out in pain as the portal of darkness closed. His escape route was gone.

But I was too late to save Percy. Noticing how he was down on the ground, I deduced the scorpion had left its mark—right after Percy killed it with a swing of his sword.

"Well, well," Luke taunted as I crept out of my hiding place, my bow notched and ready. "Look who decided to _show up_?" He held his sword up-

I swung my arrow point at him, my eyes narrowed. " _Don't even think about it_. Swing that sword and I'll put an arrow through your gut."

Luke smiled uneasily as he placed his sword on the ground; then held both hands up as if in surrender. "Be reasonable Seth…would you hurt an _unarmed_ man?"

"Seth…" Percy croaked as he looked up at me. "Don't listen to him…h-he's—

"I know, Percy. I heard everything." I muttered darkly. I glared at Luke. "To think you of all people would be a traitor…what a disappointment."

Luke scoffed, as if he found what I said to be funny. "Call me what you like, but a _disappointment_ will hardly be one of them. Once Kronos is in power, and all those pitiful gods are cowering under his feet—we'll see who the real disappointment is."

"You lied to all of us," I accused, "to Mr. D, Chiron, and your friends."

He glared at me in good measure. "Ha! It's not my fault you fools were that stupid to fall for it. Besides," he added slyly, "I'm not the only one here hiding secrets…right Seth?"

My eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"

Luke sneered as he walked casually to where Percy laid, when he knelt down beside him, I panicked.

"Don't get any closer to him." I warned.

"Don't worry," Luke said. I was plenty worried. "I won't hurt a boy who's already dying…no need to rush the process you know." He knelt down and whispered in Percy's ear, just loud enough for me to hear:

"Tell me Percy, do you know who Seth's godly parent is?" Percy glared at him weakly but couldn't say anything. "Did you know _he's_ the one who's been playing around with you all this time?"

"I'm not…i-in the mood…to hear your lies." Percy managed to say, his voice raspy.

"Oh you'll see that I am, in fact- telling the truth," Luke said as he stood up, he smiled wickedly at me:

"Seth Hunter, is the one and only… _son of Artemis_."

Surprisingly, I remained calm. After Annabeth had told me what she discovered, I wasn't that shocked of finding out that someone else had figured it out as well. I looked down briefly to see what Percy's reaction was. He looked at me with eyes filled with shock.

 _Is it true?_ His eyes seemed to indicate.

I nodded once, trying not to wince at the sudden flash of bewilderment apparent on his face. I swallowed heavily.

"Must be a burden to be a _male_ child of Artemis, isn't it Seth?" Luke said condescending as he backed away from me and Percy. "I feel sorry for you."

"I don't need _your pity_ , Luke." I spat.

"Perhaps," he said, "but think what will happen if the rest of the camp finds out—an illegal child of the gods! Do you think _they_ would accept you as who you are?"

"Just what are you getting at Luke?" He smirked.

"I want you to join me."

My jaw dropped out of sheer absurdity.

"Me? Join you? After you insulted me, my heritage, and hurt Percy?" I retorted.

Luke rolled his eyes. "No need to get so defensive about it. It's just talk."

" _Just talk?!"_

"Kronos is rising Seth," he said eerily, "he's growing in power. It will only be a matter of time before the world will be ruled by Titans. And the ones that serve him will be rewarded most generously. Best to get on the _winning side_ while you have the chance."

"As if I'll j-!"

"Think about it!" Luke exclaimed. "Don't dismiss an opportunity so easily when you haven't considered the possibilities Seth! As a son of Artemis, your skills will prove must invaluable to Kronos' cause. You will be _treasured_ in the Titan army! You won't ever need to hide who you really are. There will be no need for you to feel ashamed." He even sounded sincere.

I didn't reply. I didn't want to admit that what Luke said had some truth in them, and that fact affected me more than I would like it to.

Then, he looked down at Percy in disgust. "It won't be like that here. _I guarantee it_. Just look at the way they treated him in the beginning." Luke pointed out. "Do you want to experience that? Here, your skills will go to waste. You will be treated like an outsider! And Artemis—

I suddenly grew more alert.

"Do you really think she _cares_ about you?" Luke said as if the idea was ridiculous. "I may not know what it's like to be you, but I understand every bit of what it's like to be _unloved_. To be ignored and tossed aside like you're _yesterday's news_." Luke gave me a glance. "So… _what do you say?"_

He extended a hand towards me when he saw I had lowered my bow.

I hesitated. Now, I was wavering between staying or…not staying. Luke did bring up a good point: Artemis could care less whether I was on the 'good' side or not. However…

I looked down slightly at how Percy was faring, his skin looked so pale...

"What about…him?" I muttered quietly, giving a glance at Percy. Luke only sported his wicked grin.

"Afraid he'll rat us out? No need to worry—he'll be _dead_ in a few minutes. No one will ever know."

Still I hesitated. What was wrong with me? A few months ago I would have gladly taken the offer to enact my revenge against Artemis and what she did to me. Luke even brought up some reasonable obstacles that I almost forgot about. Who knew how the camp was going to react when they found out? But… _Annabeth_ knew. She wasn't…disgusted with me. She still treated me the same way as before.

_You do the same for me wouldn't you?_

I widened my eyes slightly when the thought entered my mind. Didn't Percy once say that to me after he rescued me from the water? Plus…Annabeth…she nursed me back to health—

_That's what friends are for, dummy. If you ever need any help, just ask me or Percy. We'll try to help you the best way we can._

I made up my mind.

"So Seth, are you coming with me or not?" Luke said a little impatient when he noticed my delay.

I stood still, and shook my head. "Nice try, Luke. But I'm staying." I quickly notched up my bow. "And you won't be going anywhere- I alerted a nymph before revealing myself. Chiron and Mr. D should be on their way right now."

I would never be able to forgive myself if I betrayed my friends like that, especially when they've gone out of their way to do so much for me. I owed my life to Percy and Annabeth, and now I was going to return the favor. Whether the camp accepted me or not, I'd deal with it when the time came. I knew that I'd at least have Annabeth's support, and that was enough.

Luke lowered his hand, his face looking downright murderous. "I should have known…oh well, your loss. But I have no intention of getting caught." I narrowed my eyes at his words.

"And just how are you going to escape? I have you trapped." I pointed out.

He shook his head and smiled amusingly. "You still have a lot to learn, Seth. You may have me trapped, but…"

"Not me," a familiar voice called out from behind. Before I knew it, thorny vines suddenly encircled my entire being, pulling me back until they had pinned me to a tree. My bow was left lying on the ground as I helplessly tried to fight off the vines which only made me scream in pain as thorns stabbed into my arms and neck.

The accomplice swooped down, and looked at me coyly. "You should have joined us, Seth."

" _Clare,"_ I muttered out angrily. "W-what is the meaning of this?"

"What does it look like?" she said a little haughtily, "I decided to join Luke on his little…rampage."

"But why?" I nearly screamed out. "What reason do you have to join that bastard?"

She paid me no mind as she handed Luke his sword. "Take this and set up a portal already. The others are not far behind." she said impatiently.

"I was getting to it," Luke retorted as he put his sword back in his sheath, "I didn't need your help."

Clare scoffed. "If it weren't for me, you would be having _a lot_ of explaining to do once the others get here."

" _Lucky for me_ ," Luke muttered as the swirling black vortex came up.

"You still haven't answered me!" I yelled. Clare gave me a glance with narrowed eyes.

"You wonder why I join Kronos? Well...it should be simple to figure out if you _really_ knew me." Clare said as she stepped towards me. "The gods are really despicable aren't they? They think they can do whatever they want without a care in the world. My mother, Demeter-if you can even call her a mother- left me with only father for all of my life. She never bothered to contact me, send me dreams or even proved that she did in fact, know that _I exist_." she spat as if she said something fowl.

"Then, there was camp. Of course, Demeter did eventually claim me when she noticed my progress in class. But that was about it. I met up with my new brothers and sisters and thought that _maybe_ I was going to have a turn around. _Maybe_ I could know my mother better and actually have a good time at this camp."

"But you can't just join Kronos because of your mom's ignorance!" I argued. "Many kids here aren't even claimed!"

"I'm aware of that," she said casually, "that was only half my reason. As for the other half…" her green eyes that were usually so bright became cold, "was this accursed camp."

"Camp?" I said slowly. "What's wrong with Camp Half-Blood?"

"You know what I really hate Seth?" she said as she peered into my eyes. "What I really hate…is being called weak…and stupid…and every single infuriating stereotype they have!" She was shouting now. "Do you know how many times the Ares cabin decide to pick on those they deem 'weaker' than there oh so powerful selves? Do you know how many times that the Athena cabin would just show off and call us Demeter kids stupid just because we didn't happen to pop out of a _bonehead_?" She paused and laughed mirthlessly. "And then there is the old stereotype of Demeter kids: passive…naïve….good with plants and all, but that's about it. I _hate_ being looked down on. _It disgusts me_."

"But what really angers me is that my brothers and sisters are actually _fine_ with it. They don't do anything. They simply… _let it go_. And then _he_ shows up." She pointed at Percy. "Just who does he think he is huh? He's just some bastard child of the Big Three—

"Don't say that about him!" I said angrily, but then I screamed as the vines tightened around my waist, the thorns piercing flesh.

"I'll say what I like!" she retorted, and then her expression softened-if only by a bit. "I thought that you would understand what I'm getting at. That maybe you will see the benefits out of all this…apparently, I was wrong. Such a pity."

"So were you playing me this whole time?" I shouted. "Were you just trying to _buy my trust_?"

"Think what you like," she said. "Luke and I rather not be here when your little back up arrives." She looked at Luke, who was casually standing by the black vortex. "You done?"

"I've _been_ done," Luke said back. "Question is: you done with your little soap opera?"

She narrowed her eyes at him steadily, as she stepped away from me and joined Luke by his side. With a snap of her fingers, the vines suddenly ripped away from me, causing me to earn numerous bloody cuts throughout my body as I collapsed on the ground. I looked up at Clare.

"Then at least answer me this," I said weakly. "What about _your father_? Don't you care about him at all?"

Clare looked down as she stepped into the vortex after Luke. "It's mostly _because_ of my father…that I am doing this." She whispered as the portal closed behind her, living me badly injured with Percy very close to death.

I made my way painfully towards Percy the moment the portal closed. Percy was deathly pale and not moving at all. By the looks of it, I somehow knew he only had seconds left.

I reached down into my pocket, and gasped in relief when I felt the vial in my hands. I unscrewed the cap with my mouth and instantly shoved the contents down Percy's throat; placing a hand over his mouth as he struggled to swallow. Almost instantly, color began to return to his face.

Shouts and the stumbling noises of demigods were close as I laid on the ground, exhausted and tired due to the amount of blood loss. I heard Percy move beside me, and his face slightly wary but healthy nonetheless. He was looking down at me with an expression of worry and gratitude.

"Just hold on Seth," Percy said firmly. "Don't you _dare_ die out on me. Help is coming."

I nodded absentmindedly, and closed my eyes.

-o-


	20. A Fresh New Start

I found myself lying down in the middle of a forest.

I wasn't sure how or when I got here, but I knew this forest was not the same as that of Camp Half-Blood.

For one, I was completely _unharmed_.

So that left only two options: one, I was dead and this was just some prelude before entering the Underworld, which I found _very_ unlikely, or two…

I was dreaming.

A faint crackling of leaves got me up and on my feet as the visitor made their appearance. But even as the visitor came from behind me, I somehow knew who it was. I kept my stance stiff, casually displaying a hint of defense, my arms hanging loosely by my side as the other being stood still a few feet behind me.

"I didn't do it _for you_." I whispered before the visitor said anything.

"I am aware," the visitor said curtly, making her way in front of me, "but I am glad all the same."

"What is it that you want with me, Artemis?" I asked my female look alike. "You couldn't possibly have wanted to just thank me for choosing the right side… and _leave_?"

She shook her head once. "You know that is not how I do things." She continued before I could reply, "you have felt it have you not? The dark stirrings that originate from Tartarus."

"Kronos," I muttered as the air around me suddenly dropped a few degrees. "So Luke was right…he is rising."

"Not quite," she said, giving me a glance. "My grandfather has yet to achieve enough power to heal himself fully. He is merely…a presence, a _strong_ presence. He has yet to obtain a body sufficient enough to awake."

"So what do you suppose we do?" I questioned. "Are you saying that there is a way to stop his rise from happening?"

Artemis lowered her eyes as if in contemplation. "It is a possibility, but only if each step is taken cautiously and above all, _correctly_. As each demigod joins his cause, Kronos becomes stronger and closer to achieving his goal-monsters are regenerating ever more quickly and if his plan is to be stopped, we must take action _now_."

"What about the gods?" I asked. "Surely they are aware of this…problem. Maybe they can stop it before...!"

"My father has decided to _drop_ the matter." Artemis said with unveiled frustration. "We are forbidden to even _mention_ the matter in his presence."

"That's ridiculous!" I argued. "He can't just pretend that nothing is wrong and just… _ignore_ it!"

"He will and he is doing it as we speak," she said, "which is why it is up to you and Camp Half-Blood to stop this disaster from happening."

"So it is…" I said slowly. I tried to keep my voice calm. By doing so, Artemis would be more inclined to answer my questions. "Is this the catastrophe you mentioned _before_? I still don't understand. What is my role in all this?"

Artemis didn't reply, she merely walked passed me and quietly said:

"Only when the time comes, then all will be clear to you." she said, cryptic, as she walked leisurely into the forest.

But before she could walk away, I suddenly called out:

"Wait, Artemis I…" she stopped in her steps and gave me a glance. I looked down rather sheepishly. "Could you…thank your hunters for me? For taking care of Lucy that is."

_When I couldn't._

Her eyes widened a fracture of a degree and if my eyes were not deceiving me…she gave a shadow of a smile.

"I will."

And then she disappeared.

-o-

I was soon surrounded with a bright light. My hands felt stiff and as I moved my hands semi-consciously, I immediately knew where I was.

 _So here I go again,_ I thought as I struggled to open my eyes.

There were voices…many of them by the sound of it.

"So how long has he been here again?" A male voice. It sounded like…Percy?

"It's been a week Seaweed Brain." Definitely Annabeth. "Look Percy, even if you come here every day to see him, it's not going to heal him any faster. He will wake when he is able to."

"I _know_." Percy muttered, "but if it weren't for me, he would have used that...that thingamajig on himself-

I could imagine Annabeth rolling her eyes. "Percy, for the last time: Seth knew what he was doing when he gave the vial to you. He knew you were close to death. _You could have died._ "

" _I know that Annabeth_!" Percy snapped slightly, "but it doesn't make me feel any better."

Oh gods, was Percy blaming himself? He and Grover were so alike…

I heard Annabeth sigh as she moved herself from across the room. I heard her sit down.

"I can't believe I couldn't do _anything_ ," Percy continued. "I couldn't do anything when Luke and that girl, Clare..."

 _Oh yeah…Clare is no longer here,_ I thought sadly.

"…They teamed up against him, Annabeth." Percy said angrily, "Luke, he may be a jerk and a coward, but Clare…she was even worse: she actually harmed Seth badly. He was a _bloody mess_ when I finally woke up and she was _his friend_! And I couldn't do anything but sit there all weak and defenseless."

"Percy…" Annabeth said quietly.

I decided that I couldn't listen to any more of this nonsense, and decided to speak up:

"Will you quit berating yourself Percy?" I replied, my voice a bit raspy. "It's giving me a headache."

"Seth!" both of them exclaimed, and they moved closer to me.

"Hey."

"We're you awake this whole time?" Percy asked.

I shook my head. "Not really, but I did hear how I've been here for a week."

"How are you feeling?" Annabeth said softly.

I thought about it for a moment. "Like a mummified zombie."

"Glad to have you back from the dead," Percy replied. "You missed out on a lot of stuff."

I raised an eyebrow. "Stuff?"

Annabeth answered, "Percy told us about what happened after we patched you up. Chiron and Mr. D had a difficult time believing it at first, but it was the only explanation why…" Annabeth became hesitant.

"Why Luke and Clare betrayed us?" I guessed. Annabeth nodded, looking downcast.

I lowered my gaze, staring at my bandaged arms, my hands fumbling the blankets softly. Clare's last words echoing in my mind when I finally spoke:

"So the camp knows," I stated aloud. "What are their opinions about them?"

"It's…uncertain," Annabeth said slowly, "I mean most of the cabins were shocked and angry; others were sad about their departure. But some of them don't care one way or another since they don't know them that well…"

"What about the Hermes and Demeter cabins?"

"They felt betrayed," Percy said quietly, "and hurt." His sea green eyes were contemplative. "I don't think there's any worry of them defecting to the other side if that is what you are worried about."

There was a long period of silence.

"I see," I mumbled as I laid back down on my pillow. "Thanks for the update."

"What about your thoughts?" Percy questioned softly. Annabeth turned to him in surprise.

"Percy, I don't think this is the time for..."

"It's okay Annabeth," I said as I looked blankly at the ceiling. "As for my thoughts..." I sighed as I put a hand up in front of me. "Luke and I have known each other since I arrived at camp. He was very friendly, very easy to talk to and all. But that is all there is to it. We were just close acquaintances. Of course I was shocked to hear of his treachery, but I don't bear any emotional baggage."

"As for Clare," I lowered my hand and turned my head sideways, so I was looking at them both. "I think you already know. Do I need to explain any further?" I said quietly.

"No, that's enough." Percy said. "I get it."

I looked at Percy questionably. "Aren't you mad at me?" Percy looked up.

"Mad?"

I swallowed uneasily. "For _lying_ to you. You haven't brought it up since I woke up."

Annabeth looked at the two of us curiously. "Wait, are you saying Seaweed Brain found out?"

Before I could say anything, Percy gave an outburst. " _You knew?!"_

Annabeth lifted her chin, smug. "Of course I did. I figured it out all on my own."

"She's right," I confirmed. "She confronted me about it after our split up. I just confirmed them."

"Why is it that I'm _always_ the last to know?" he exclaimed to no one in particular, "and how did Luke find out before I did?"

I shrugged. "Maybe I just didn't hide it well enough. I wasn't exactly modest on my archery skills during my first day. Maybe he suspected it then."

Another moment of silence.

"So…a son of Artemis huh?" Percy said, grinning at me like I was a weird exhibit.

"Oh come on, it could have been worse." I said, "and stop looking at me like that."

"But how?" Percy wondered. "Isn't Artemis supposed to be like, against having kids?"

"She's not against _having kids_ , seeing as how I'm here." I clarified. "She is only against _love_."

"Then, how are you… _born_?" he said awkwardly, as if trying not to offend me. I smiled briefly at his attempts.

"His birth is sort of similar to mine," Annabeth explained for me, "but there are differences…" I rolled my eyes as she looked at me, her eyes hinting for more.

"Yes, there are differences." I replied. "For one, I don't have a father."

" _What_?!" Percy and Annabeth exclaimed.

"It's a long story actually…" I started.

This was going to take awhile.

-o-

After an hour of telling my story while answering questions here and there, Percy and Annabeth finally got a gist of my situation. I didn't leave anything out. I was just too tired of hiding things from them. I only lied if I needed to, and I didn't need to at this point. I knew they were my friends, and that they wouldn't betray my trust.

"So you're saying," Percy started as he walked back and forth slowly across the room, "that you're actually a _mini-Artemis_?"

My eye twitched slightly from the description. "Yeah, I guess."

"Whoa."

"I don't understand," Annabeth said quietly as I turned to her in confusion. Her hand was under her chin, thinking. "Artemis is usually a good judge of character. She couldn't have chosen to save a single life, even if it was one of her hunters, over so many mortal lives…it's just not like her."

I shrugged. "Hey, I'm supposed to be her ' _carbon copy'_ and I don't get how she thinks most of the time."

"This is so cool," Percy grinned. "So you're kind of like me: we're both supposed to be 'non-existent' right? Well, maybe you in more ways than me, but-

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, I'm _so_ glad I made you feel _so_ not special. Congrats to me. Make sure you _leave a tip._ "

"Sure, I _might_ just do that," Percy said a moment after, "but only _if_ I'm feeling generous. So don't get your hopes up, werewolf."

"As if," I retorted, and then after a moment I shot a look at him. "Wait- _what_ did you just call me?"

"Hm? Oh, I just called you werewolf," Percy reminded me. "You know…since you're um, Artemis' copy and all, and she's the goddess of the moon. And you know how werewolves and the moon are-

"Yeah, I get it," I snapped, "but why did you decide to give me a _nickname_? Isn't 'Seth' short enough as it is?"

"Well, you know how I call Annabeth Wise Girl, and she calls me Seaweed Brain," he started.

"Or 'Kelp Head'," Annabeth added.

"Yeah, so I thought it would be fair if you had one too." Percy finished.

I stared at him in disbelief. "I am seriously starting to _question_ your 'fairness'."

"But you cannot doubt my creativity." Percy boasted. "I think 'werewolf' makes you sound beast-!"

"I _refuse_ to be named after a mutt." I said, annoyed. "Beast or not, I prefer my own name thank you very much."

"Then how about 'Wolfie?'"

"No."

"Alpha wolf?"

"No!"

"Then how about just 'Wolf'?" Percy suggested.

" _Will you just drop it_?!" I said, frustrated. Then, I sighed, and lay back down. "Actually, do you guys mind? I'm kind of a little…drowsy. Maybe we'll talk some more later?"

Annabeth and Percy gave each other a glance.

"Sure Seth. Come on Percy," Annabeth said, ushering him to the door. "Seth should be resting. I think we've been here long enough." She turned to give me a glance. "Take care of yourself, okay?"

I nodded. "Thanks, Annabeth."

When I was about to doze off, I heard Percy whisper to Annabeth.

"I think that was a yes."

-o-

I stayed in the farmhouse for a couple more days before I was permitted to leave. During my stay however, I was surprised with new visitors: All of them coming from the Demeter Cabin.

"We came to apologize in our sister's absence," one of the girls, Katie Gardner, replied.

I raised an eyebrow at their sincerity. "That is very thoughtful…for all of you. But none of you could have predicted her actions. There's no need to apologize."

"That is where you are wrong," Katie said sadly. "You see, the night before…Clare left, she had called a Cabin meeting. She had asked if any of us were unsatisfied with the way things are at this camp and asked if any of us would like to join her in…finding something better."

"We didn't think much on it. She was always complaining some of the time of how 'horrible' the camp was in her opinion. I figured this was only one of those times." she sighed, looking depressed. "We should have known better."

"She actually said that?" I said quietly. Katie and the others nodded.

Hearing this made me felt…sad. Just sad. Did I really not know Clare at all? All those times we spent together…fighting on the same side at Capture the Flag… and that visit with Lucy, she seemed so content…I wouldn't have guessed how miserable she really was. I supposed I wasn't the only one hiding my true self.

"Thank you for coming to visit me." I said after a moment's silence. "If it truly makes any of you feel better, then I'll say I forgive you all. But I still don't think you guys are responsible."

Katie smiled faintly.

"Thank you Seth," she said. "That means a lot to us. Just know, that whenever you need any help or if there is any trouble–know that the Demeter Cabin will stand by you."

I widened my eyes at her statement as they proceeded to leave the room; leaving me alone in a matter of moments.

-o-

My recovery just came right on time.

I was standing by the gate of Camp Half-Blood. The sun was shining and the strawberry fields smelled just as alluring as ever.

It was also time for Percy and Annabeth to leave camp.

"You know, I could always persuade my mom to have you over," Percy suggested. "I really hate to see you all alone."

I grinned, "I'm sure I can handle a few months without you guys. I also got buddies from the Apollo Cabin, so I'm not _completely_ isolated. Another time perhaps?"

"Definitely." We shook hands on it.

"I was a bit surprised to hear you leaving Annabeth," I said to her. She looked down sheepishly.

"Blame Seaweed Brain for that: to think I actually took his advice and wrote a letter home. Who knows? Maybe my dad will be more aware of my presence this time."

"As long as you give him a chance," I said.

The horn sounded. It was time for them to go.

I watched silently as others waved their goodbyes to those leaving for the school year. From behind me, I heard cloven hooves as Chiron walked up beside me.

"It isn't really over," I said ominously. "Is it, Chiron?"

Chiron sighed. "No it isn't. There will be hard days ahead, Seth. I have no doubt of that. But for now, we should try to cherish every victory we can get. Get together and grow strong together. Unity is of the upmost importance when facing any kind of foe."

I raised an eyebrow. "It sounds like you speak from experience."

Chiron smiled. "You are very perceptive, Mr. Hunter, but seeing as how I've been here for who knows how many millennia, I suppose I do sound a bit old fashioned."

"Old fashioned?" I said in mock surprise. "If you're old fashioned, then what would that make the gods?"

Chiron laughed. "You will make one fine demigod, Seth. Now if you will excuse me…" He trotted away to address another issue with Mr. D.

I smiled briefly as the other campers and I started to head back to the cabins. I had learned a lot this year I realized. I lost my family and the only home I knew, but I made up for that in the most bizarre way: I made new friends, discovered my identity, gone on a Quest, experienced betrayal by not one but two people I knew, and not to mention facing death _many_ times.

Seems like the bad things tend to outweigh the good, didn't it?

If Chiron and Artemis' foreboding was any hint, this was only the beginning, but when the right time did come...

I would be ready.

**-End of Part 1-**


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